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Former "Singing Priest" Tony Walsh sentenced to one year for earliest recorded child abuse

Summary

Tony Walsh, a former priest known as the "Singing Priest," was sentenced to one year in prison for the sexual assault of a child in the early 1970s. At the time of the offence he was a seminarian. The assault, which occurred between 17 April 1973 and 9 September 1976, involved Walsh locking a girl aged between seven and ten into a room and forcing himself on her until he climaxed. After the assault he told her it was only a game. Walsh, aged 61, was convicted in December 2015 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is currently serving a 16‑year sentence imposed in 2010 for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. Judge Catherine Murphy imposed the one‑year sentence, suspended the final year on condition of good behaviour, and ordered it to run consecutively to the termination of his current sentence in October 2020. Tony Walsh pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former "Singing Priest" Tony Walsh sentenced to one year for earliest recorded child abuse. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• April 17, 1973 Incident
• September 9, 1976 Incident
• October 2020 Other
• 2016-01-12 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report