BishopAccountability.org
	Priest Faces Jail By Sarah Chapman ic Seftonandwestlancs [United Kingdom] May 31, 2007 http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/icbootle/news/tm_headline=priest-fa ces-jail&method=full&objectid=19221670&siteid=60252-name_page.html A Catholic priest is facing jail after he was convicted of enabling a predatory paedophile to groom and sexually abuse a Liverpool schoolgirl. Father Jeremiah McGrath, 63, bankrolled convicted sex offender William Adams during a period of three months in which he repeatedly raped a 12-year-old girl, Liverpool Crown Court was told. The wealthy Irish priest had known 40-year-old Adams for years and had a homosexual affair with him, despite having taken a vow of celibacy. McGrath was aware Adams had convictions for raping an eight-year-old and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and had visited him in prison. He had even given Adams cash in the past when he was wanted by the police and wanted to flee to Scotland. Adams relocated to Bootle after serving a prison sentence and was unemployed and receiving state benefits. McGrath visited him and set up a joint bank account with him. Soon after arriving in Merseyside in 2005, Adams befriended his 11-year-old victim and started lavishing gifts on her. Adams even took the girl on a three-week holiday to Blackpool, during which he raped her. The court heard the trip was funded by McGrath, who was a successful gambler and had stocks and shares. The priest joined the holiday, provided Adams with cash to spend on his victim and did nothing to prevent Adams sharing a room with her or her younger brother. Andrew Menary QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "It seems that Jeremiah McGrath would indulge all of William Adams's desires, including funding his sexual interest in young girls, in order to keep Adams happy. "The prosecution say that Father McGrath would have known full well what William Adams was doing." The girl's family found out about Adams's previous conviction after searching the internet, the court heard. Adams, formerly of Meadow Hey, Bootle, has pleaded guilty to raping the girl between May and November 2005. McGrath, of Rosslea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, was found guilty on one charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He was cleared of one charge and the jury was discharged from reaching a verdict on facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and on a count of sexual touching after they failed to reach a verdict after almost 11 hours' deliberation. A decision will be taken on whether there is to be a re-trial next week. McGrath, who had denied all the charges, was remanded in custody until June 14, when he will be sentenced with Adams. The priest, who wore his clerical collar throughout his trial, was warned he faces a jail sentence. Judge Brian Lewis told him: "There can only be one outcome in terms of sentence."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.