Retired priest seeks to halt indecent assault trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A retired Catholic priest brought a High Court action seeking to halt his trial before the Circuit Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 24 January 2022. The man cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He is charged with more than 40 counts of indecent assault against a male who was a primary school student at the time. The alleged offences took place in south Dublin between 1967 and 1972. He denies the allegations.

The man claims he cannot receive a fair trial because of cognitive difficulties, including dementia. His treating physician said in a report that his condition meant he could not instruct his legal team, understand the trial proceedings or give evidence in his defence.

It was also submitted that the passage of time prejudiced him and that he would be unable to access documents or witnesses to support his defence. His judicial review proceedings against the DPP, Ireland and the Attorney General sought orders including an injunction prohibiting the trial.

On 24 January 2022, Mr Justice Charles Meenan granted permission to bring the challenge on an ex-parte basis and adjourned the matter to a date in March. No date had been fixed for the criminal trial.