He Stole My Childhood, Says Victim Abused from the Age of 12 by His Parish Priest

By Niall O'Connor And Esther Hayden
Irish Independent
March 22, 2014

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/he-stole-my-childhood-says-victim-abused-from-the-age-of-12-by-his-parish-priest-30115243.html

A FORMER parish priest has been jailed for seven years for the "cold and calculating" sexual abuse of a young boy he would pay money to after he abused him.

Denis Nolan (61) was convicted of "systematically" abusing his victim over five years, starting when he was just 12 years of age.

There were emotional scenes in court yesterday as the victim struggled to fight back tears as he watched his abuser sentenced. John Paul Hunter (19) bravely waived his anonymity as he recalled being subjected to horrendous abuse in the priest's car, home and local church in Rathnew, Co Wicklow.

Nolan, with an address at Carrigmore, Tinahely, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at the same address on a date between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007.

He also pleaded guilty to five counts of defilement of a child under the age of 15 years between July 1, 2007 and August 25, 2009, and five counts of defilement of a child under the age of 17 years between August 26, 2009 and August 25, 2011.

TRUST

All defilement charges occurred in the Presbytery, Rathnew, where Nolan was parish priest at the time.

Judge Michael O'Shea told a court in Bray, Co Wicklow, that Nolan was in a "position of trust" and that he "should have been a protector of young John Paul and not a predator".

"He was just a child – innocent in the ways of the world," the judge said.

Mr Hunter, now a young dance teacher, told the Irish Independent that his abuser "stole my childhood".

"I don't have confidence anymore. I drink way too much and I have tried to take my own life on many occasions. He stole my childhood. But I just don't want anyone else to live the type of life I had."

Detective Sergeant Fergus O'Brien told the court that Mr Hunter was 12 years old when he approached the local parish priest, Nolan, for some odd jobs to gain extra money.

Three weeks after he started doing odd jobs in the presbytery in Rathnew, Nolan asked him to go to his family home in Tinahely and while there grabbed Mr Hunter between the legs.

Nolan told him it was "what adults do" and told him not to tell anyone. On arrival back in Rathnew he gave him ˆ10. A few days later Mr Hunter was in the presbytery and Nolan asked him if he had told anyone about the incident in Tinahely and when he said no, he called him over to him. Nolan felt his leg and Mr Hunter felt Nolan's leg and there was kissing. Nolan then gave Mr Hunter ˆ15.