IRELAND
Irish Independent
Gordon Deegan
PUBLISHED
21/11/2014
A PRIEST who described Mass-going paedophile Patrick Barry as a “spiritual man” said his court testimonial was “not a defence” of the convicted man.
Canon Bob Hanna confirmed last night that his Church of Ireland “at top and local levels” have queried why he gave a testimonial on behalf of the convicted paedophile in court earlier this month. Canon Hanna released the statement after one of Barry’s 11 victims said after his sentencing that she was “disturbed” by the priest’s testimonial.
On Wednesday at Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Keyes sentenced the remorseless Barry to 11 years in jail with the final five suspended, stating that the former school principal had stolen the youth and robbed the childhood of the girls that he abused.
The girls were aged between nine and 13 when the abuse took place at Moyasta National School, Co Clare, over a 21-year period between 1964 and 1985. One of the victims described Barry as a vicious wolf lying in wait for her every day and who “terrorised and abused me for daily for years”.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.