Catholic priest convicted of raping boy in 1980s at Ipswich summer camp

By Martin Finucane
BostGlobe
November 12, 2014

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/12/catholic-priest-convicted-raping-boy-ipswich-summer-camp/mDqGvO92nCFyxLi4wPtY2N/story.html

A Roman Catholic priest has been convicted of five counts of child rape for attacking a boy on multiple occasions between 1981 and 1982 in Ipswich, the Essex County district attorney’s office said Wednesday.

The Rev. Richard McCormick, 73, was convicted by a jury Wednesday in Lawrence Superior Court after a four-day trial, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office said in a statement.

The rapes occurred while the boy attended a summer camp at the Salesian Brothers’ Sacred Heart retreat center in Ipswich, where McCormick worked. The victim, who is 44, was between age 10 and 12 years old when the rapes took place.

“Rape of a child is a heinous crime,” Blodgett said in the statement. “It is a fundamental violation of a child’s innocence that can never be truly restored. My hope is that these guilty verdicts allows this brave [victim] to find some peace of mind, knowing that none of this was his fault.”

Judge Mary Lou Rup slated sentencing for Dec. 18. McCormick was taken into custody after the verdict was returned, prosecutors said.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said the victim was one of his clients in a civil lawsuit. “By coming forward my client has empowered himself and made the world a safer place for children,” he said in a statement.