BUCKINGHAM (ENGLAND)
Buckingham Today
March 18, 2019
By Sam Dean
Last week former Catholic priest Francis McDermott, who practised in Aylesbury between 1990 and 2005, was sent to prison for almost ten years for sexually abusing six children in the 1970s. During the trial, which this reporter attended, a common theme throughout was the importance of Mr McDermott’s role as a priest with regards to enabling him to commit his crimes for so long undetected.
Stephen Evans, CEO of The National Secular Society Many victims spoke of their parents’ piety and consequent lack of scrutiny of the priest’s behaviour, resulting in them being left alone as young children for hours at a time with a man in his thirties.
One victim said: “Because of their Catholic faith they believed what they were told – that’s what the Catholic religion meant to my mother – she wouldn’t question it.”
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