RTE News
December 14, 2011
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1214/donaghyj.html
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| The jury will resume its deliberations at Belfast Crown Court tomorrow |
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| James Donaghy was found guilty on 19 charges |
[with video]
A former priest has been convicted of a series of sexual abuse offences against two altar boys and a trainee priest.
James Donaghy, 53, of Lady Wallace Drive, Lisburn, Co Antrim had denied 26 counts, including indecent assault and serious sexual assault.
He was found guilty on 19 charges, with the jury yet to reach a verdict on the remaining seven counts.
Donaghy had denied sexually abusing his three victims on dates between June 1983 and December 2000.
During his four-week trial, one of the victims, Dublin-based priest Fr Patrick McCafferty, told Belfast Crown Court he had first been assaulted by Donaghy at a seminary in Co Wexford. Another incident occurred when the two men were on a retreat in Donegal.
A second victim, who cannot be named in order to protect his identity, told the court the priest started abusing him when he was 14. The first assault happened after Donaghy gave him a bottle of beer at the parochial house.
He said the priest had threatened to kill him if he told anyone about the abuse. He said the 53-year-old had formed a close friendship with his parents, who thought he was a good role model for the boy.
The third victim, James Doherty, said he was abused from the age of 17. He later moved to England to escape what he described as "years of abuse".
After more than eight hours of deliberation, the jury has yet to reach a verdict on seven counts. Judge Patrick Lynch has remanded the accused in custody, pending a decision on the remaining seven charges.
The jury will resume its deliberations tomorrow afternoon.
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