IRELAND
Irish Independent
ALLISON BRAY – 21 MAY 2013
ONLY a fraction of more than 700 abuse allegations against 320 priests have resulted in convictions since 1975, according to the Catholic Church’s independent child protection watchdog.
Ian Elliott, who is stepping down next month as head of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI), said the low conviction rate was a cause for concern.
“The number of convictions from both dioceses and religious orders for serious offences against children is low,” he said in the annual report released yesterday.
Only 26 prosecutions have emerged from 723 allegations against 320 priests since 1975, he said.
“What’s striking is that credible allegations against named priests have had a very low batting average,” he told the Irish Independent. He estimated that only about 8pc of cases result in prosecutions.
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