Courts / Dublin / Report

"Singing priest" Walsh to be sentenced for 1983 indecent assault

Summary

Tony Walsh, a former "singing" priest aged 64, will be sentenced in December for indecently assaulting a teenage boy in 1983. He has already been serving a seven‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for raping another boy three times in the 1980s, with a crucifix used in one of those assaults. Walsh pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the 1983 charge. Garda John Barrett described the incident: the boy, who had been drunk, woke up naked and in pain with Walsh on top of him in a single bed; Walsh allegedly inserted his penis into the boy's anus for a "split second". The victim reported a "stabbing pain" and later turned to drinking. A victim impact report was filed but not read. Walsh's defence argued that his guilty plea spared the victim from testifying and highlighted a long delay in the case.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "Singing priest" Walsh to be sentenced for 1983 indecent assault. Charges or matters: his latest charge of indecently assaulting a teenage boy on a date in 1983. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 2018-11-09 Publication

Why: The court heard he did not tell anyone because he was so ashamed. Court evidence reported by CNI

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Sexual Offences Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report