Woman Denies Lying over Priest Abuse Claims

Belfast Telegraph
September 27, 2012

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/woman-denies-lying-over-priest-abuse-claims-16216669.html

A woman who claims she was sexually abused by a priest when she was a child has said she “felt sorry” for him at one stage.

The 40-year-old told Belfast Crown Court that before she reported her alleged abuser to police in September 2010 “I felt sorry for Father Donnelly”.

Catholic priest Peter Donnelly (69) denies six counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency alleged to have occurred between July 31, 1983, and August 1, 1987, when his alleged victim was aged between 10 and 14 years old.

Donnelly, from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, was curate at St Matthew's Church in Belfast’s Bryson Street at the time.

Giving evidence for the second day, the alleged victim told defence QC John Orr the reason she did not go to the police sooner was because she was afraid. “The simple reason being I blamed myself. I thought the blame would come back on me,” she said.

Giving her testimony over a live video-link, the alleged victim told the jury he kissed her with “an open mouth”.

She also claimed he touched her inappropriately in the hallway and dining room of St Matthew’s parochial house in east Belfast.

The alleged victim has further told the court that while she was in Donnelly's bedroom he forced her to touch him.

Yesterday Mr Orr suggested to her that none of the incidents of abuse had ever happened.

“Whatever the number of them, whatever age you were, I want to suggest to you that nothing of that nature happened at the hands of Fr Donnelly,” said the lawyer.

But the woman refuted his claims, telling the court: “I'm sorry, he done it. You are wrong.”

Mr Orr put it to her that she could not remember details such as what she was wearing, the time of day or year of various incidents.

She replied: “Would you be able to tell the time 30 years ago?”

Although the woman agreed that memory lapses over time “works both ways”, she told the lawyer: “Fr Donnelly knows he done it.”

“You may well have been abused,” said Mr Orr, “but I suggest it most certainly was not at the hands of Fr Donnelly”.

But the witness declared: “It was at the hands of Fr Donnelly and Fr Donnelly knows that.”

She added that she had nothing to gain by telling lies.

“I'm here to try to clear my head and get my life back on track, to try to get closure for this,” she told the jury.

The trial continues.