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Former Franciscan friar (79) jailed for indecent assault on boy
Summary
Joseph Keegan, a 79-year-old former Franciscan friar from Crumlin, Dublin 12, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for two counts of indecent assault. A jury found him guilty of anally raping a boy aged nine or ten in 1986 or 1987 at a Church property, and sexually assaulting him after football training in 1985 or 1986. Judge Pauline Codd noted aggravating factors including the breach of trust, grooming, and the lack of remorse or admission of guilt. She also considered Keegan's previous 1999 conviction for gross indecency involving five boys. Despite his frailty and low risk of reoffending, the judge imposed a six-year sentence for the rape and a four-year sentence for the sexual assault. These sentences were ordered to run concurrently. The final year of both terms was suspended, resulting in an effective custody period of five years. Keegan, who was seated in a wheelchair throughout the proceedings, was taken into custody after entering the bond.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Former Franciscan friar (79) jailed for indecent assault on boy. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- 1977 and 1982 Incident
- 2021-07-30 Publication
Why: Mr Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing, BL, said he had argued from the beginning of the case that there was a question over Keegan's fitness to stand trial because of his age, multiple serious medical conditions and frailty. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: former Franciscan friar who took a young boy out of a classroom and raped him at a nearby Church property has been jailed for five years for two counts of indecent assault.
Defendant
Outcome: Giving evidence at a sentence hearing earlier this month, a garda detective told Fionnualla O'Sullivan BL, prosecuting, that Keegan was sentenced to six years in jail in 1999 for gross indecency over the sexual abuse of five boys while he ran a football club between 1977 and 1982. Joseph Keegan's situation was unusual, Judge Pauline Codd said, because so long had passed since he was released following a lengthy sentence for similar crimes. "He is very frail and immobile, so the practical reality of him reoffending is unlikely," she said. "Of course at the core of rehabilitation is an acceptance of guilt – and there's no admission here." Judge Codd said aggravating factors included the breach of trust, the nature of the assaults, as well as "grooming building to the abuse and subsequent psychological pressure on the victim".
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