KANSAS CITY (MO)
Kansas City Star
September 12
BY TONY RIZZO AND GLENN E. RICE
The Kansas City Star
The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, the Catholic priest and church pastor who repeatedly used young girls to produce child pornography, was sentenced Thursday to 50 years in federal prison.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner virtually ensures that Ratigan, 47, will spend the rest of his life in prison. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Federal prosecutors portrayed Ratigan as an arrogant and reckless man who flagrantly disregarded his priestly vows, used young girls as sexual objects, and repeatedly lied to his superiors, fellow priests and police when he was found out.
“Ratigan is a danger to society because he has proven he is not amenable to supervision and is unable to control his impulses,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Fincham said in a written memorandum filed before Thursday’s hearing.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.