IRELAND
The Corkman
PUBLISHED
11/06/2016
A priest in the Diocese of Cloyne falsely accused of child sex abuse has called on the Catholic Church to put proper structures in place to protect priests who have been the subject of malicious and spurious allegations of child sexual abuse.
Fr Tim Hazelwood (57) from Castletownroche in North Cork has spent the past six years fighting to clear his name after he was accused anonymously of child sex abuse.
He spoke this week of how he was left to his own devices to do so with little support from the church.
Fr Hazelwood, who served in Fermoy, Youghal, Banteer, Dungourney, Charleville, Blarney and is now in Killeagh, said he was going public about his own experience as he knew of other priests who had been similarly abandoned by the Church after they were falsely accused of child sex abuse.
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