LONDONDERRY (UNITED KINGDOM)
BBC [London, England]
October 5, 2026
Edward Gallagher, 59, will be sentenced in December
A priest has pleaded guilty to 109 sex offences at Londonderry Crown Court.
Edward Gallagher, 59, whose address is Maghaberry Prison, will be sentenced in December for offences between 22 June 2023 and 18 April 2025.
They include among others attempted sexual communication with a child under 16, having indecent images of a child, possessing an extreme pornographic image and attempting to encourage a child to engage in sexual activity.
The Catholic Bishop of Derry Michael Router confirmed that he would ask the Vatican to dismiss Gallagher from the priesthood.
When the charges were put to him Gallagher pleaded guilty to them all.
Defence counsel Stephen Mooney said that a pre-sentence report was needed and that “the facts are what they are”.
Gallagher remains in custody pending sentencing on 9 December.
‘Immense distress’
In a statement on Monday, Bishop Router said his thoughts were “first and foremost” with those affected by the case, “particularly the children who have suffered harm and those who continue to live with the consequences of abuse and exploitation”.
The bishop said he would “move immediately to seek the most serious penalty available under church law” – Gallagher’s dismissal from the priesthood.
“I can confirm that I am petitioning the Holy See to submit the case directly to the Holy Father with a recommendation that Father Edward Gallagher be immediately dismissed from the clerical state,” he said.
The bishop said the Catholic Church could not “undo the harm that has been caused” but had “a responsibility to respond truthfully, justly and decisively”.
He said the Diocese of Derry had cooperated fully with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and all relevant statutory authorities throughout their investigations in the Gallagher case – and would “continue to do so”.