Irish Times
December 17, 2010
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1217/breaking16.html
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| Former priest Tony Walsh. Chapter 19 of the Murphy report, which contains references to him, was held back last year as criminal proceedings were then pending against Walsh on charges of the sexual abuse of three children. Photograph: Collins Courts |
Sections of the Murphy report which deal with former priest Tony Walsh will be published today.
A Department of Justice spokesman said yesterday it was bringing forward publication of the 40 page Chapter 19 from Monday as the task had turned out to be less complex than expected.
The Murphy report followed a statutory inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations by church and State authorities in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese between 1975 and 2004.
Chapter 19, as well as 21 other references to Walsh in the report, were withheld by order of Mr Justice Paul Gilligan in the High Court on October 15th, 2009, prior to publication of the report on November 26th, 2009.
Mr Justice Gilligan made that ruling because criminal proceedings were pending against Walsh on charges of the sexual abuse of three children. On December 6th last, Walsh was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, four suspended, after pleading guilty in two of the cases and on being convicted in the third.
On Wednesday last Mr Justice Gilligan set aside his October 15th order. However, he ruled that those parts of chapter 20 redacted by him in a second order on October 21st, 2009, should remain so, as proceedings were in progress in that case.
The 40 pages involved will be available at www.justice.ie from midday.
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