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	Priest Accused of Molesting Girl Fermanagh Herald [Northern Ireland] May 16, 2007 http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/fh/free/307503141161524.php The trial of the Parish Priest of Roslea has heard harrowing allegations about his involvement in helping a convicted paedophile sexually abuse and rape a 12-year-old girl. It was also alleged, at Liverpool Crown Court, that Father Jeremiah McGrath also sexually molested the girl on one occasion; that he paid thousands of pounds into a joint account to allow his co-accused to abuse the girl; that lied to the girl's family, and that he helped fund the abuse by gambling heavily. McGrath paid the money into a joint account he had with fellow Irishman William Adams, and Adams lavished the cash on holidays, treats and clothes for the girl, claimed Andrew Menary, QC, prosecuting. It was claimed McGrath had a very close relationship with Adams which may have been physical, he added. 38- year-old Adams, latterly of Bootle, Merseyside, has admitted repeatedly raping the girl when she was 11 and 12 at a variety of locations in Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool. McGrath, whose address was given as The Parochial House, Church Road, Roslea, has pleaded not guilty to three offences of arranging or facilitating the commission of a sexual offence and one offence of sexual assault. Opening the prosecution case at Liverpool Crown Court, Mr Menary told the jury of seven men and five women that the offences span seven months between May and November 2005. As well as sexually molesting the girl on one occasion in November 2005, the "substantial allegation against McGrath is that he provided financial and other support to Adams which allowed Adams to carry out his terrible abuse of the child. "He knew or believed Adams was sexually abusing her in some way and carried on giving him positive assistance that allowed him to continue with his perverted activities." The court was told 62-year-old McGrath, a Catholic priest, had known Adams since he (Adams) was a teenager. The Court was told that Adams was jailed for 12 years in the Republic of Ireland in November 1998 for raping an eight-year-old girl. Throughout his imprisonment it was claimed McGrath visited and wrote to him. Adams was subsequently released on parole in November 2004 and moved into a flat in Meadow Hey, Bootle, Merseyside. From this time, McGrath used to visit Adams, who was jobless, and paid his bills for services, such as gas. "Adams is a predatory paedophile", said Mr Menary and from the moment he arrived in Liverpool he began to look for a child he could abuse. He met the girl's father, who is separated from her mother, with whom she lived, in April 2005 and used the name Adam Adams, which McGrath must have known. "Over the next few months, Adams worked his way into the girl's affections. He gave her time, attention, gifts, money and holidays. All these things this little girl had never experienced," he said. "Not surprisingly, due to her age and her background, she did not realise how deeply abusive this relationship was. She thought he loved her and he encouraged her to believe that." The prosecution claimed Adams began sexually assaulting and raping her from early May 2005, initially at his home in Bootle. He said he would buy her things if she did not tell anyone and would batter her if she did. Adams abused her on a weekend away in Southport, during holidays in Blackpool, where he also took members of her family. He paid for everything, including meals out and gifts for everyone, especially the girl. "Most, if not all the money he used for that purpose, came from McGrath. Although a priest, he is a man with substantial means. He owns property from an inheritance and a sizeable portfolio of stocks and shares. It also seems he is a heavy but successful gambler," alleged Mr Menary. "Because of his very close relationship with Adams, he regularly sent Adams significant amounts of money or paid directly for certain aspects of his lifestyle." The prosecution claimed that on April 7, 2005, they opened a joint bank account and the next day McGrath deposited £3,000 with a further £3,000 on May 3. Mr Menary stated that, altogether a total of £23,500 was paid into the joint account and Adams's own account. On the weekend of June 10 that year (05) Adams took the girl alone for a holiday in Blackpool for her 12th birthday. He claimed she was his daughter and they shared a twin room where he forced her to have sex. He spent a small fortune on her, using money from the joint account from the funds wholly or substantially from McGrath. Adams continued to regularly rape the girl after they returned to Merseyside. He also regularly visited McGrath in Ireland and used the priest's phone to ring her. During the phone conversations, the court heard, he would tell her to 'slip your hand down', meaning she should masturbate herself. In July Adams took the child, her brother and mother to Blackpool for three weeks. A £1,200 deposit was paid for their accommodation and Mr Menary claimed it was reasonable to infer the source of that money was McGrath. After a week, Adams and the girl went to the airport to meet McGrath and on their way to the hotel McGrath, who had never met her before, told her, 'slip your hand down.' "This provides compelling evidence that McGrath knew exactly what type of relationship Adams had with her and what his intentions were towards her," claimed Mr Menary. Two days later, McGrath paid £4,000 into their account and a week later a further £1,600. Altogether, between April and November, a total of £23,500 was paid into the account, of which all but £2,000 was withdrawn. "McGrath knew or believed Adams was sexually abusing her. If the money had not been available, Adams could not have groomed her as he did. McGrath also assisted him by deliberately misleading other people, alleged Mr Menary. Adams told hotel staff he was the girl's father and McGrath was his uncle. The children referred to McGrath as granddad and McGrath confirmed to staff he was Adam's uncle: "McGrath never corrected anyone's misapprehensions as to the true nature of the relationships within this group." Adams and McGrath spent money "like it was going out of fashion" during the holiday, spending about £1,000 a day, with the bulk of gifts and attention received by the girl, he alleged. "It seems McGrath would indulge all of Adams' desires, including funding his sexual interest in young girls in order to keep Adams happy. Their relationship was such that McGrath would have known full well what Adams was doing to her." McGrath and Adams stayed at the same hotel together on other occasions and shared a twin room. Adams began living in Blackpool and, on occasion McGrath sent him packages, one of which was found by police to contain £400. Adams took the family to Blackpool for another two week holiday, they were again joined by McGrath, and Adams continued to abuse the girl. Despite the girl maintaining Adams was her father, the hotel proprietors became uncomfortable with the situation and began refusing Adams bookings. On later occasions, the girl told her mother she was staying with a friend but was actually staying at addresses with Adams in Blackpool. Meanwhile ,her extended family were becoming concerned and an uncle researching the internet found out about Adams' conviction. The social services warned her mother, and Adams was told by police not to contact the girl but she had developed a strong bond with him and unknown to her family she continued to ring him and meet him to continue their corrupt relationship. In November, McGrath was in England and collected the girl from her friend's home in Adams car and went to Bootle to collect Adams. Adams took over driving with McGrath in the front passenger seat and, during the journey Adams reached his hand around and sexually assaulted the girl who was in the back seat. She later returned to her friend's home. As she had not come home, her worried grandmother texted Adams who claimed he had not seen the girl. Later that evening, McGrath rang her and told her to stop panicking. "It was clear the two men were together but he claimed they had not seen the girl. This was plainly a lie," Mr Menary submitted. McGrath also claimed he had only found out Adams had a conviction for sexual assault at the same time as the girl's family and that he had only received eight months imprisonment. "That was nonsense and McGrath knew it." The next day, the Court heard, the girl took a taxi to a service station on the M62 where she met the two men. Later, Adams asked McGrath to take her back which he did. "En route it is alleged he (McGrath) took one hand off the steering wheel and touched her between the legs," said Mr Menary. On the evening of November 10, the girl and her mother rowed and she ran off and kept trying to ring Adams. The police were called and she was taken to her uncle's home. The girl was deeply protective of Adams and made no complaint about him. Meanwhile, Adams frantically tried to contact McGrath but could not get hold of him. He sent texts, including one saying if he did not answer, 'everything is over between us'. Three days after the girl was interviewed, McGrath paid for Adams to stay in Blackpool for two weeks and booked hotel rooms for three adults and a child in the town for a family using the name 'Anderson'. "McGrath knew that Adams was about to adopt a whole new identity, namely 'Mr Anderson', and knew potentially the police were onto him", Mr Menary went on. When Adams was arrested, he told the Court, a ferry ticket was found in the name of 'Anderson'. "Why would a Catholic priest book a hotel room in a false name, why were he and two other adults going to stay there with a child, why had Adams adopted the same false name to book a ferry ticket. We say this is further evidence of the type of the relationship he had with Adams," claimed Mr Menary. Matters came to a head on November 25 when the girl ran away from her uncle's home, taking his phone to contact Adams. She got a taxi back to the same service station where she met Adams and they drove to Blackpool. Police found her alone at his flat the next afternoon, and she was removed for her own protection. Adams began texting McGrath realising his predicament. The girl still made no complaint about the sexual abuse to police but, a few days later confided in her uncle's partner, and later told the police about Adams "She also said McGrath had sexually assaulted her on an occasion and knew full well what Adams was doing to her," claimed Mr Menary. Mr Menary told the court that, when interviewed, McGrath gave a comprehensive account of his relationship with Adams. He denied any impropriety in relation to the girl and denied knowing what Adams had been up to. "He accepted aspects of his relationship with Adams were not at all wholesome or conduct that would be approved of by his church," he added. The case continues
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