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	Priest Describes As 'A True Gent' The Fermanagh Herald [United Kingdom] May 23, 2007 http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/fh/free/310759800216745.php The Roslea parish priest at the centre of a crown court trial in Liverpool was described on the third day of case by a hotel proprietor as, a 'true gent' . Father Jeremiah McGrath, who is on trial accused of child sex offences, had turned up at the Blackpool hotel to join fellow Irishman, William Adams, who was there with a 12-year-old girl and her family. Giving evidence, Mary Holliday said Adams told her McGrath was his uncle and a priest. McGrath arrived wearing 'civvies' and, after speaking to him she said she, "put him down as a real gent. That is the sort of person that came over. He was very very quiet, even when mixing with the family and kept a distance from them," she said. It is alleged 62-year-old McGrath bankrolled 'predatory paedophile' Adams, enabling him to groom the young girl and take her on holidays.. It is also claimed that McGrath, of Church Road, Roslea, sexually molested the girl. McGrath has denied that offence and three of facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence by Adams spanning seven months, ending in November 2005. Adams, latterly of Bootle, Merseyside, has admitted repeatedly raping the girl when she was aged 11 and 12. Mrs Holliday told the jury Adams first arrived at her hotel, The Manhattan, on June 10, 2005, when he turned up with a girl he described as his daughter and they shared a room for three nights. Before leaving, he booked another holiday there for them and the girl's mother, whom he described as his ex-partner, and, also, the child's brother. He paid the ?1,200 cost in advance and, when McGrath joined them during the second week and the holiday was extended for a week, Adams also paid cash for that. "I was told Billy Adams had won ?150,000 in the bookies and a few days later his ex said he had won the lottery," she said. The two men used to go the bookies together, the witness added. ANNOYED Mrs Holliday said Adams always seemed to be flush with money and, on one occasion McGrath and Adams wore tuxedoes and the rest of the group got dressed up and they went out in a limousine. She said Adams gave most of his attention to the girl and sometimes she could tell by McGrath's face that he was annoyed with Adams. "A few times he said he was going home, he'd had enough." The prosecution allege the two men had a close relationship, which may have been physical. Mrs Holliday said the girl was "naughty, very wayward and streetwise." She said on one occasion she took her aside and asked her if she had any problems because she would have tantrums in front of other guests. The group returned for another two week holiday and Adams and McGrath came back on other occasions for a few days. She said she got fed up with them all because they became a nuisance. "The mother would get drunk and was an irresponsible mother. One night, the girl went up to McGrath in the bar and said, 'You've put my mum to bed and she was naked. You call yourself a priest.' "He was really embarrassed because there were a lot of people in the bar and he didn't know what to do," the witness added. On one occasion, McGrath asked if he could borrow ?500 and on another asked if she could give Adams ?200, but the witness refused. McGrath, she told the Court, would send packages to the hotel for Adams, which on one occasion appeared to be tablets and, otherwise she assumed it was money. On the final occasion, she gave it to police and it did turn out to contain cash, she added.
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