IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Thursday, June 02, 2016
Liam Heylin
An 82-year-old priest was accused yesterday of indecently assaulting a boy in a school sickbed in the 1970s. He denied it and said he acted like a father to all the boys.
A jury of three women and nine men was sworn in to hear the case before Judge Gerard O’Brien at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. The priest pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting the boy.
The complainant testified that the alleged indecent assaults occurred when he was about 13 and 14.
The complainant said the first incident occurred when he was ill with chest and stomach problems.
“I was not able to go to class. I was in the room on my own. (The accused) called to the room. He put his hand on my forehead. He put his left hand on my forehead. He put his other hand on my tummy and moved down. He proceeded to put his hand on my testicles and my penis for 12 to 15 seconds.
“I froze solid, naturally enough, I was a young boy on my own. I had just started second year,” he said.
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