By Shane Hickey and John Breslin
Irish Independent
May 22, 2009
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/judge-says-cancerstricken-priest-must-serve-full-jail-term-1747699.html
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| Father John Skehan (right) appears in court yesterday in Palm Beach, Florida |
A FLORIDA-based Kilkenny priest who pleaded guilty to stealing from his parish must serve his sentence behind bars despite being suicidal and suffering from cancer.
Fr John Skehan, who was jailed on May 1, pleaded with a US judge to be released from prison and kept under house arrest for the remainder of his 14-month sentence.
His lawyers argued during the short court appearance in Palm Beach, Florida that he may die in prison.
The 81-year-old priest was sentenced for stealing more than $100,000 (ˆ72,000) from his parish and is due for release in May 2010.
However, despite the plea from Fr Skehan's lawyer James Eisenberg, Judge Jeffrey Colbath said the defence did not meet the burden of proof and denied the motion.
The Kilkenny-born priest cried and waved at supporters as he was led away from Palm Beach Circuit Court for the return to the minimum-security wing of the Martin Correctional Institution.
Fr Skehan pleaded guilty in February to stealing the money from the St Vincent Ferrer parish in upmarket Delray Beach.
He was accused of spending the skimmed cash on property in Florida and Ireland, on holidays and on a coin collection.
But supporters claim that Fr Skehan did valuable work for the community over four decades, between building up the parish and tending to the spiritual needs of parishioners.
A second priest, Offaly native Fr Francis Guinan (66), was sentenced to four years for stealing from the parish after he opted for a trial and was convicted.
During the hearing, Fr Skehan's lawyer said he was suffering from cancer, diabetes and asthma and is suicidal.
He discovered he had prostate cancer just three days before he reported to prison.
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