IRELAND
The Irish Times
KATHY SHERIDAN
Triona O’Sullivan was just six when Fr Calnan tried to rape her and, with his jailing on Monday, she believes she finally got justice
WHEN JOHN Calnan was brought into the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday, he still looked every inch the priest, despite the maroon jumper and denim jeans. With his sparse white hair, thick glasses, unsteady gait and conspicuous reliance on a cane, he looked older than his 73 years.
But he remained straight-backed and sternly impassive, as Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced him to eight years for the attempted rape of a six-year-old girl more than 30 years ago.
That little girl, Triona O’Sullivan, now 39, was in court to hear the judge describe “the grooming process” that had begun when she was not yet four.
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