Courts / Ireland / Report
Priest seeks to halt trial for alleged indecent assault on girl 40 years ago
Summary
A Catholic priest in his seventies, whose identity is withheld for legal reasons, has filed a High Court application to halt his pending criminal trial for an alleged indecent assault that allegedly occurred in the mid‑1970s. The priest denies the single charge that he touched a ten‑year‑old girl while she was seated on his knee during a film shown on a projector, a scene that was witnessed by the girl's family and other people. He claims that the complainant's delayed complaint to the Gardai in 2015, and earlier complaints to a bishop in 2004 and to the girl's parents in the 1980s, have prejudiced his case. The priest argues that many witnesses who were present have died, preventing them from providing evidence that could aid his defence, and that this creates a real risk of an unfair trial.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Priest seeks to halt trial for alleged indecent assault on girl 40 years ago. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- 2019-02-04 Publication
Why: He also claims that he cannot get a fair trial because many of the persons who were in the room at the time of alleged assault have died. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Outcome: The judge, in placing a stay on the prosecution from proceeding pending the outcome of the matter, adjourned the case to a date in March.
Places mentioned
- High Court
- Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
Stage Charge Or Pretrial Violent Crime
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