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Clerical sex abuse victim avoids jail for causing €100k in damage to church
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 26 July 2017, Ian Kidd, aged 54, pleaded guilty to criminal damage after pouring diesel on the altar of St Agnes' Church in Crumlin. Kidd had received a letter from Catholic Church solicitors offering €30,000 for abuse he claimed to have suffered from a priest. He found the offer "derisory" and, upset, filled a can with €5 of diesel and set it on the altar, damaging the Carrara marble surface, a monstrance, a crucifix and a Paschal candle. He shouted at parishioners to leave. The court noted he had a cigarette and may have had the means to ignite the diesel but did not. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a fully suspended two‑year prison term, conditional on Kidd continuing treatment for alcohol addiction, and acknowledged his remorse and mental fragility at the time. The case was part of a broader High Court settlement in 2018 involving multiple abuse complaints.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Clerical sex abuse victim avoids jail for causing €100k in damage to church. Charges or matters: criminal damage at St Agnes' Church, St Agnes' Road, Crumlin on July 26, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 26, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2021-01-18 Publication
Why: Credit: Collins) A victim of clerical child sexual abuse who caused €100,000 in damage to a church because he was upset by a "derisory" offer of compensation has been given a fully suspended sentence. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: criminal damage at St Agnes' Church, St Agnes' Road, Crumlin on July 26, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Credit: Collins) A victim of clerical child sexual abuse who caused €100,000 in damage to a church because he was upset by a "derisory" offer of compensation has been given a fully suspended sentence.
Places mentioned
Topics
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