IRELAND
Irish Independent
Conor Gallagher
PUBLISHED
01/02/2017
A priest has received a suspended sentence for sexual assault after a court heard he has been put under effective house arrest by his order.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the 65 year old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, molested a boy after Mass one Sunday.
The abuse came to light after the boy’s mother went to gardaí and the priest made admissions. A garda told the court that the priest had been since living under strict rules in a different house operated by his order. The order also cannot be identified.
He is not allowed celebrate mass or wear “priestly garb” and is not allowed leave the house alone except to go to his doctor or solicitor, the court was told.
He is also not allowed unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults, including his own family. The regime is to continue “indefinitely”, Ronan Kennedy BL, defending, told the court.
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