Courts / Wicklow / Report
Priest serving 19-year sentence further jailed for 'predatory' abuse of schoolboy
Summary
Former priest Denis Nolan, 71, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court following his guilty plea to one count of oral rape and 36 counts of sexual assault committed between 1994 and 2000. The court found that Nolan abused a victim aged 11 to 17 in Dublin and Wicklow. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a five-year sentence for the rape, to run consecutively to Nolan's existing terms, alongside concurrent three-year sentences for the sexual assault counts. Nolan is currently serving a 19-year aggregate sentence for previous convictions, including a 2022 case where the Court of Appeal quashed a suspended portion and substituted a consecutive six-year term. The judge noted Nolan's "predatory" conduct and "egregious betrayal" of trust, while acknowledging his guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors. Nolan, in custody since 2014, was also directed to undergo five years of post-release supervision. The matter was finalised with the imposition of these additional custodial terms.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Priest serving 19-year sentence further jailed for 'predatory' abuse of schoolboy. Charges or matters: one count of oral rape and 36 counts of sexual assault on dates between 1994 and 2000 at locations in Dublin and Wicklow. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 2028 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2022 Other
- 1994 and 2000 Incident
- 2006 to 2012 Incident
- 2001 and 2005 Incident
- 2023-11-13 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of oral rape and 36 counts of sexual assault on dates between 1994 and 2000 at locations in Dublin and Wicklow (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Nolan was then jailed in 2022 for the rape and sexual abuse of a third young boy on dates between 2001 and 2005. The Central Criminal Court initially imposed a sentence of nine years with the final seven and a half years suspended.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- The Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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