EX-PRIEST'S Sex Sentence Halved in Nsw

7 News
August 24, 2016

https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/32429400/ex-priests-sex-sentence-halved/#page1

A 73-year-old former Sydney Catholic priest has had his six-month minimum jail term halved for sex offences against boys more than three decades ago.

Robert Flaherty, who was given between six and 12 months to live 11 months ago, was granted bail pending his appeal so he will now spend his first night behind bars.

He was jailed in February for two years and three weeks with a non-parole period of six months, being subject to the sentencing standards of the time the offences were committed.

Flaherty had pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault relating to two boys and a jury found him guilty of two other offences relating to a third boy.

The abuse happened between 1972 and 1981 in his car, the presbytery and his holiday house at Mollymook on the NSW south coast.

The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Wednesday dismissed his challenge to the two convictions involving the jury verdicts.

The crown submitted the sentence imposed on Flaherty was "manifestly inadequate", while the former priest contended it was too severe.

The three Appeal Court judges dismissed the crown challenge, while two agreed Flaherty's sentence should be cut to two years, with a non-parole period of three months.