'We'll never get justice for being raped': Anger as dad of sex shame priest 'Father Flash' dies before facing trial for alleged abuse

By Sally Hind
Daily Record
April 18, 2015

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/well-never-justice-being-raped-5540318

Donald MacNeil waqs alleged to have raped kids

THE dad of a sex-shame priest has died before facing trial over the alleged abuse of 13 girls.

Cancer-hit Donald MacNeil, 82, walked free from court last year after lawyers said he was too sick to stand trial on allegations dating back 40 years.

Proceedings could have been re-raised against the alleged child rapist at any time but he died in hospital on Wednesday.

Yesterday, a woman who says she was abused by MacNeil from the age of nine said she was devastated she and other women will “never get justice”.

Another of MacNeil’s alleged victims is understood to have confronted the OAP on his deathbed hours before he died.

MacNeil’s son Roddy was dubbed Father Flash after fathering a child with his married cousin and bedding another lover half his age.

The priest returned to South Uist, Western Isles, to help his dad after medics told the OAP he’d six months to live in May.

In June, he was three days into his trial at the High Court in Glasgow when he collapsed and was taken to hospital.

Dad-of-three MacNeil had denied sexually abusing 13 girls from 1971 to 2011.

He’d also denied raping a girl of 12 or 13 in the 1970s and one aged 14 or 15 in the 90s.

Before the trial was abandoned, two women gave evidence that MacNeil had raped them when they were children. Another woman gave evidence of being sexually abused.

But a consultant told the jury MacNeil was unfit to attend trial after his bowl cancer spread to his lungs.

Judge Johanna Johnston agreed to the trial stopping with the proviso it could be started again if MacNeil recovered. A new court date was set for last month but the hearing didn’t go ahead due to his ill health.

One of the witnesses said she has been preparing to give evidence again when she heard of MacNeil’s death. She added: “He died on Wednesday night in Uist and Barra Hospital.

“There’s such frustration we didn’t get justice. He was never going to plead guilty.

“It took 40 years for it all to come out. He thought we wouldn’t remember what he did to us when we were younger.

“We’re not going to get justice now he’s dead. The only closure we’d have got was in court.”

The woman also claimed one of MacNeil’s alleged victims walked into the hospital where he was being treated and demanded an apology. She said: “He wouldn’t say sorry to her. He died the next day.”

The Crown Office said: “As a result of medical opinion the accused was unfit to stand trial and would remain so for the remainder of his life, the case against him did not call at the High Court on March 31, 2015.”

The Record told in 2005 how Roddy was suspended from the priesthood after claims of an “inappropriate relationship”.

He was told by his bishop to quit his parish, Our Lady of the Sea, on Barra.

It emerged the woman MacNeil was involved with was his cousin Hilda Robertson. She fell pregnant in September 2005. The baby is believed to be MacNeil’s.

It later emerged MacNeil had also been dating student Jennifer Gilbert, 22.