Ex-priest Who Abused 18 Boys Loses Appeal against 10-year Sentence

Sunday World
December 16, 2014

https://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/courts/ex-priest-who-abused-18-boys-loses-appeal-over-10-year-sentence

Appeal: Kennedy was given a 10-year sentence last year

Peter Kennedy (75), with a former address at Ballinahown, Co Westmeath pleaded guilty to 27 counts of indecent assault in various areas of the country between 1968 and 1986.

He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count with all other counts taken into consideration by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on July 8 2013.

Dismissing Kennedy's appeal against sentence today Mr Justice George Birmingham said there was criticism of the judge's approach to sentencing on one count while taking all other counts into consideration.

However, if the judge had sentenced Kennedy on each count consecutively, it may not have been to his benefit, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

The judge said all of the complainants were schoolboys with one exception. In other cases contact with the complainants came through their families in his role as a priest administering in various parishes around the country.

The complainants' victim impact reports showed there had been a profound impact on them, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

Some of those who were abused in their teenage years continued to manifest difficulties in their adult years. They experienced difficulties with parenting, bonding with their own children, forming relationships and so on, he said.

Echoing statements made by the sentencing judge, Mr Justice Birmingham said Kennedy had “left a path of destruction and one could but be absolutely filled with sadness on hearing the victim impact reports” of the 18 young boys “now men”.

The sentencing judge said Kennedy had “destroyed the innocence of 18 young boys,” Mr Justice Birmingham stated.

There was an early plea in respect of 8 complainants and two weeks before trial it was intimated that a plea would be forthcoming on all other counts, the judge said.

It seemed there had been no offending since 1986, Mr Justice Birmingham said and Kennedy's sentencing judge had stated that he had taken that into account.

The court heard that Kennedy, a former member of the Kiltegan Fathers Order, had been out of ministry since 1986 and he successfully applied for voluntary laicisation in 1992.

He spent a period of time in England working as a taxi driver and on the underground, the judge said. He moved to Brazil and taught English to adults but, as was stressed by him, not to children.

Mr Justice Birmingham who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards said Kennedy's sentence was well within the range of options available to the sentencing judge and there was no error in principle.

There were claps from the public gallery as the judgment was delivered. One man said “I hope you rot”.

The same man had earlier called Kennedy a “fucking scumbag” who ruined his life and the man had to be restrained by prison officers before the hearing commenced.