Defrocked Priest Arrested Again; NH Man One of His New Accusers

New Hampshire Union Leader
February 10, 2017

http://www.unionleader.com/Defrocked-priest-arrested-again;-NH-man-one-of-his-new-accusers

A defrocked priest at the center of the Boston clergy abuse scandal, and at the center of an Oscar-winning movie about it, has been arrested on 29 counts of sexual misconduct against young boys in Maine.

Ronald Paquin had served 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a boy in Massachusetts.

Upon his release in 2015, a New Hampshire man contacted authorities in Kennebunkport, Maine, to say Paquin had sexually abused him when he was eight years old. The abuse went on for five more years according to Keith Townsend, now 42, who told Seacoast Online his story.

Paquin was held without bail Friday in Roxbury, Mass., and was scheduled to be in court next week.

“Spotlight” was the Academy Award-winning movie about the Boston Globe’s coverage of the clergy sex abuse scandal. The film featured actor Richard O’Rourke playing Paquin.

Paquin had told reporters that he had “fooled around,” but Paquin denied having raped anyone and said he “never felt gratified myself.”

Paquin later admitted to medical evaluators that he had abused at least 14 boys.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Paquin, 74, worked in Haverhill and Methuen and was one of the first clergy members sentenced in the scandal.

The Vatican defrocked Paquin in 2004.

Townsend said that Paquin began touching him once in the parish cars, and then started raping him two years later after using alcohol and drugs to control him.

The alleged victim said that his life has become a “downward spiral” of addiction and crime, but added that he has become ready to pursue charges against his abuser after becoming sober, getting married and having children.