BRIGHTON (MA)
Allston-Brighton Tab
By Casey Lyons/ Correspondent
Friday, December 17, 2004
A Catholic priest who improperly touched a 16-year-old girl earlier this summer admitted to sufficient facts and acknowledged the complaint against him during criminal proceedings on Monday.
Father Varghese Pereppadan, 36, was sentenced to a one-year probationary period in a deal between the victim, the victim's family and the district attorney's office.
Pereppadan admitted to the court that he touched the chest of the victim, whom he knew, over her clothes. The incident took place on July 28 inside Our Lady of the Presentation Church in Oak Square, Brighton.
The priest, who is visiting from India, apologized to his accuser last week and accepted a one-year probationary period. During the next year, Pereppadan will be barred from seeing the victim and will have no unsupervised contact with minors.