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FORMER ‘SINGING’ PRIEST Tony Walsh has been jailed for seven and half years for raping a boy three times, once with a crucifix.
Anthony Walsh (62) committed the offence at a time when the maximum penalty for this offence, then legally termed indecent assault, was two years. But today Judge Elma Sheahan used her discretion to impose consecutive sentences.
The Criminal Law (Rape) Amendment 1990 increased the maximum penalty for sexually assaulting a child under 17 to 14 years.
He forced the child to have sex twice, once in the parochial house in his parish and on another occasion in a tunnel under the Phoenix Park. He also used a crucifix to rape the boy.
Walsh told the jury during the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last month that he never knew the boy and said he never assaulted him.
Pleaded not guilty
Walsh, formerly of North Circular Road, Dublin had pleaded not guilty to five counts of indecently assaulting the boy on dates between January 1980 and December 1982. The boy was aged between 10 and 13 years old at the time of the abuse.
Following a three day trial the jury of two women and ten men returned verdicts of guilty on all counts after approximately one hour of deliberations.
Garda Tara Corrigan told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, at a sentence hearing earlier this month, that Walsh has 17 previous convictions, from 1995 to 2015, for indecently assaulting young boys and two girls.
Walsh fought two trials and pleaded guilty to the other offences. He is currently serving a sentence and is not due for release until 2021.
Judge Sheahan had adjourned the case having heard evidence. She said today that the rape charges were the most grave and warranted the maximum penalty of two years.
She imposed a further 15 months on the two remaining indecent assault charges and ordered that all of the sentences should run consecutively.
‘Plagued his life’
Judge Sheahan said she would reduce the total sentence of eight and half years by one year having taken into account the totality of the prison sentence served and to be served by Walsh.
She backdated the sentence to Walsh’s conviction last month meaning he is now due for release in June 2023.
The judge said Walsh’s abuse of the victim had long lasting consequences for the man in his childhood and into his adolescence and adulthood which had “plagued his life to date”.
She said the accused had violated his position of trust in a grievous way and it was difficult to find any mitigating factors considering that he ran “a full and complete defence of denial”
“There is no indication that he accepts the jury’s verdict and he has shown no expression of remorse,” Judge Sheahan said.
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Ah, the RC church – what a great organisation to support. List of accomplishments include:
Bigotry.
Homophobia.
Child Rape & Molestation.
Moving paedophiles around to avoid prosecution.
Misogyny.
Denying contraceptives to HIV-ridden countries.
Systematic cover-up of child abuse.
Mother & Baby homes
Mass Baby Graves
Yet – just like our support for corrupt and inept politicians – many of us still insist on being members of the club. Which had people like Tony Walsh and Sean Fortune looking after our children – and flatly denied, for years, any wrongdoing.
I don’t think it’s ever going to stop. Every day that rocks are kicked, more disgusting acts such as this are revealed.
The Catholic Church in Ireland is nothing more than a nest of vipers.
Sad, but true.
Sure after confessing their sins they be grand! Max sentence is a whole rosary.
Amazing how catholics seem indifferent to all of the above, and continue to show up to the club every week.
Or tick “Roman Catholic” on the census. That’s direct acknowledgment that “this is my club – these are my peeps & I am a proud member of said group”.
What would it take to put them off, if none of the above has?
In fairness, Robert, they’re very good at what they do.
We should give them credit for that.
I can only imagine the effort that it takes to inveigle oneself into society and gain a ‘free pass’ from the political class.
The catholic church in Ireland preys on the poor and the children of the poor. The political class don’t care as long as it’s not their children being violated.
They blindly follow that book that was compiled circa 1600 years ago. Carefully edited by the Roman Emperor Constantine The Great to control the masses of illiterate people of the day. A war mongering, self serving tyrant who didn’t include stories he didn’t like. Possibly the first person ever to understand the true power of brand advertising. What’s truly amazing is that todays flock still hang on every single word of it. Most likely due to the tribal mindset, fear and insecurity. Some of these pitiful souls even see the need to defend it at all cost.
Well said, Tweed.
Religion is the greatest franchise of all time.
The product? Nothing tangible.
Promise the poor desert dwellers that things will be better when they die. BUT PLEASE, give us some of your money [and your children] on your journey there. It’s only a booking fee that guarantees you a boarding pass.
You forgot vile treatment and beatings of children and unmarried mothers !
@Karl – yes, and even mothers who were married were expected to be ‘cleansed’ after having a baby! Nuts.
Robert Neale you forgot failing to pay compensation to victims !
Even back in 1980 how was it only 2yrs max jail for doing them horrible things to a child. I hope it’s a life now? Is it?
He was due for release in 2021 but now will be due for release in 2023? What maths is that 71/2 years? Disgusting.
The sentences for the crimes he committed in *this* case are consecutive, but obviously they must be concurrent with the sentence he is currently serving for a different case. If this sentence was not consecutive, then it would expire before his current sentence does; thus not resulting in any increase in porridge.
He still doesn’t accept what he done was wrong.. Leave him in prison until he admits his guilt. And give him a nice big cell mate with plenty of crucifixes.
“Judge Sheahan had adjourned the case having heard evidence. She said today that the rape charges were the most grave and warranted the maximum penalty of two years.”
He, a priest, raped a little boy with a crucifix, a priest… three times, one in a tunnel, and the maximum penalty he could be given was TWO YEARS?
She gave him 7 1/2 years, serial sentences
Still not enough but well done Judge Shearan
The institution of the Roman Catholic Church was fully complicit in the perpetration of clerical child sexual abuse.
Many victims committed suicide, had addiction problems and had and their entire lives maimed.
The tears of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy are in the main crocidile tears because half hearted condemnation of perpetrators is alway qualified by references to good work.
Evil is evil and cannot be justified or redeemed by other good works.
Is their any other profession which has such a high number of sexual predators or is it just the Church ?
In a way, I feel it’s just as well he is a priest in a celibate order. Not that all priests are. But sure imagine if he were free to marry and attack children under his own roof? Maybe the Vatican are afraid to release such savages from “vows”. They must have, what, about 900 years of bitter experience that they don’t defrock such men. Is this what people pay their parish dues to support? Paedophilia and perjury. We’re not only talking about ‘moral’ support here – more like a stubborn denial of reality.
“He forced the child to have sex twice, once in the parochial house in his parish and on another occasion in a tunnel under the Phoenix Park. He also used a crucifix to rape the boy.”
What the actual f**k?!
We give out about the yanks, but boy would they know an appropriate sentence for that pig .
Honestly. I always feel anti-death penalty, then you read an article like this and you start thinking there should maybe be some exeptions.
He was due for release in 2021. Now he’s due for release in 2023. That’s effectively a two-year sentence. The judge did not have to reduce the sentence or allow it to run concurrently with his existing sentence. There’s not much point in imposing the maximum sentence if it’s going to be so heavily reduced.
Ah Derek, you forget something, how will the law industry make more money off him as they hope to if he’s locked up forever as he deserves, no no, the product must be kept in circulation at all costs, of course that’s at all costs to the general public, not to the law industry!!!
Religion of peace….
Reads Like something out of the exorcist.. Demented..
7 and a half years for raping a boy 3 times and once with a crucifix. he should have got 7 years for each rape and 15 for the one with the crucifix. the dirty animal.
It is interesting and perhaps significant that the use of a crucifix to rape a child does not seem to offend the religious sensibilities of devout Roman Catholics.
It is my personal experience that devout and zealous Roman Catholics are often highly ambivalent and qualified in their criticism of clerical child sexual abuse.
Criticise Roman Catholicism and its warped notion of God and you risk being vociferously accused of blasphemy but Roman Catholic voices are extremely mute when religious artefacts which are supposed to have a high symbolic vale, even sacred in nature, are used as instruments of violent clerical child sexual abuse.
Hope he’s being bummed daily in jail.Devil.
Aiden, he’s in I presume , a perverts only place, a little slice of heaven for these depraved pigs, fed well, sky TV, reading his scripture by day, swapping stories of their exploits with the boys , and planning how not to get caught the next time. No sorry to say , he’s grand.
I heard the nickname for Arbour Hill within the prison service is “The Monastery”.
Jail the abusers but jail their enablers too.the bishops still keep repeating there lies about not knowing what wa s going on and moving these pervs from one parish to an other
Maybe one day they’ll finally set an example and let one of these lads rot for their actions
I’d do a life sentence just to show him real Justice courts way to easy on s#um
He should be chemically castrated. It will send a proper message out to other would be abusers.
In a Roman Catholic dominated society and a Judiciary dominated by Roman Catholics and the institutional links between Roman Catholicism and the Judiciary, we should not be in the slightest surprised about lenient sentencing.
If the perpetrator was not a Priest he would likely have been looking at a much longer sentence.
Don’t they kick off their courts season with a fancy dress mass…
and in your next post you will say the Catholic Church have lost their support and are a dying entity.
Which is it?
It’s on it’s back legs, think marriage equality, devorce, contraception, limbo etc. Read fighting god, might enlighten your mind. Tom.
On behalf of the Catholic community of Ireland I disown this man.
I also wish to make it Quite Clear, Crystal Clear, and let there be no confusion here:
Anthony Walsh was never a True priest of the Roman Catholic Church.
He may have masqueraded as one……….but in real spiritual terms he was not a priest.
His actions have nothing to do with my Church.
They have everything to do with your “one true church” who played pass the parcel with him around different parishes along with his buddy Bill Carney…shame on you for supporting this utterly rotten organisation who says one thing an does another….shame on you.
Quite right GLE. There were so many others…Brendan Smyth, Sean Fortune etc. And their bishops denied their existence for years. How many got way!?!!
Sick comment Robert.
I hate paedophiles from whatever walk of life they come and I’m glad he’s going to jail. Should be a longer sentence in my opinion.
But he’s not part of my Church. Never was, never will be.
He was part of your church. He was a priest. Not sure how you can deny that fact.
And when you say “your church” – do you mean the one that preaches Bigotry, Homophobia, has a history of Child Rape & Molestation, Moving paedophiles around to avoid prosecution, Misogyny, Denying contraceptives to HIV-ridden countries, Systematic cover-up of child abuse, Mother & Baby home abuse, and Mass Baby Graves?
Is that “your church”? Because that’s the RC church I just listed.
To suggest that the huge numbers of paedophile priests were not part of your church is stupid and misguided. Like the hierarchy who let them knowingly practice as priests, perverts and paedophiles.
‘He was part of your church. He was a priest. Not sure how you can deny that fact.’
A paedophile masquerading as a priest.
Huge difference.
Much as a paedophile might masquerade as a swimming coach, a scout leader, a teacher, a social worker whatever.
My Church is far different to the one you’ve outlined above.
It’s cherry picking, Dotrice – it’s what they do when the truth is inconvenient to their agenda.
And stereotyping all Catholics as guilty by association.
That’s what you do.
It’s part of your agenda.
What’s my agenda? Being anti-child abuse?
We’re all anti child abuse.
Your agenda?
Anti Catholic.
All Catholics are not guilty of paedophilia – but many of their clergy are, and been converted of it, often.
Weird – you claim to be anti child abuse – yet you support the worlds biggest ever peadophile ring. How does that work?
I’m speaking for the laity here.
That’s my Church.
If you really cared about these crimes you wouldn’t support an organisation that protects these monsters and allows them to move around the country committing the same crimes again and again.
Let me ask you this Ricky, if he’s not part of the church, how was he able to carry on being a priest and being protected by this same church? His story is a catalog of self-protection by the church and their usual strategy of moving the problem around instead of reporting it to Gardai like they should have in the 1980′s. But no, they carry on protecting him (the priest) and the church, not the victims, not the families, not the wider public.
How can you follow this sick, dated and outright criminal organisation, even today?
Ricky come now, you cannot seriously think the catholic church is an inherently good organisation, can you? Even with all of the horrible shit they’ve been behind all of these years? By and large, organised religion exists to control and manipulate the vulnerable in our society. I’ll assume you’re an intelligent person, can you honestly say to us that you believe the catholic church is a force for good in this world?
I’m a Catholic.
The Bible is my source.
I support my religion at a local level.
I am not responsible for the criminal actions of individuals or groups of individuals unknown to me, actions which are beyond my remit and which I have no knowledge about.
But you vocally support the church!. The ‘catholic community’ wouldn’t exist if the church didn’t exist, you are playing semantics here Ricky and there is no excuse for it.
Hope none of you guys ever end up on a jury…that’s all I can say.
None of us were on this jury… and he was still found guilty, not sure what your point is.
Robert. I think you should take a tablet. Are you trying to say that only Catholic commit paedophilia. In no way does Ricky condone paedophilia and your comment is a product of a very sick mind
Maybe you should read this article about what the atheist army of Stalin did in Germany in 1945, now grow up
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Stalins-army-rapists-The-brutal-war-crime-Russia-Germany-t…;
Irish Red, I am also a practising Catholic and I have no truck with paediphilles. What do you say about that Irish Red,?
“Are you trying to say that only Catholic commit paedophilia. ”
Where did you get that from? Did you make it up to deflect the real questions?
Maybe you might like to read up what your atheist brethren did to German women and children in 1945
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/11/26/hellstorm-book-review/
http://www.mirror.co.uk › News › World news › World War 2
“Are you trying to say that only Catholic commit paedophilia. ”. There is your answer Robert. Before you pour abuse at people in this tread look at the deeds of you brethren and see what they did.
Brethren? I have no club, you fool.
Its an evil orgsnisation
Ricky Grimes, like it ir not you are part of an evil organisation.
Robert, so you have to resort to name calling but then that is what I would expect from you., maybe you have been out in the sun too long today
Con, even in 1970 the proportion of children baptised in the USSR was officially 60% , based on soviet records in 1930 almost 90% of the largely rural population was baptised in the Christian soviet republics, thus in 1945 the average soviet conscript was a baptised Christian, certainly the generals on the face of it were atheists, but your argument that the mass rape of Polish , German, and Hungarian women was the result of atheists lack of morals is wrong, just as it would be wrong to suggest that Christians were responsible for the horrors of the Nazis,
We, the people, are anti-child abuse, you lot and the one’s you are apologizing for were not anti-child abuse. Your lot facilitated child abuse for decades. Grow a brain Grimesy.
I am afraid the Nazi regime were responsible for the Murder of 3,000 Catholic clergy and 3,000,000 Catholic lay people so they were not very Christian were they?. I do not know how many children were baptised but I can tell you this The Catholic Cathedral was closes in Moscow and used for a store so they were not much baptisms and the Cathedral of Christ The Lord was demolished by Stalin and replased by a swimming pool.
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of…/art6.html
Lazlo, so atheist are perfect. Maybe you and your bigoted friends might like to learn about the murder of 20,000 Poles by your brethren in Kathyn forest in 1940 and the efferts to blame the Nazis, and I will say to you Your lot facilitated murder and cover up the murder of innocent Catholic Poles. Now what have you to that “Mr Lazlo Saint Pierre” or whatever you call yourself
Con, many wonderful Catholics Lutheran and atheists were persecuted by both regimes, it is a matter of fact that many large cathedrals and monasteries in the Soviet Union were desecrated or worse, however the Soviet Unions official policy on personal beliefs was that the believer should not be persecuted, baptisms would back this up. We would possibly agree on much,but the statement that all soviet conscripts were atheists is not one of them, the rapes that occurred were undeniable horrendous, witness accounts from East Prussia testify that the first wave of the red army, the elite and frankly European conscripts treated surrendered civilians with decency, but even these troops warned the population that the second wave of eastern conscripts were savages. we can both agree on topic , that Tony Walsh is a horrible human being
Hitler was a Catholic and was never excommunicated…a third of the nazis were Catholic, the others Protestant…so Nazi regime overwhelmingly christian. Atheists were sent to death camps.
Don’t forget the Vatican was given country status by another catholic dictator.
Hitler, Musolini, Franco, Pavelić, even Pinoche & Galtieri all CATHOLIC
Stop talking nonsense Con and save it for your next Eucharistic Congress brainwashing festival.
Of course Tony Walsh is a horrible creature Sean
Lazlo. You do not like the truth I see , I suggest you read some history and know what you are writing about.
Musselini was an atheist and Hitler gave up the Catholic faith before 1910, as for Pinoche is he a figment of your imagination
Con – why are you mentioning random dictators & trying to say they somehow have something to do with me or other posters? Seems like you;re deflecting the main issue.
Why not address the disgusting things YOUR church has done? A church you’re proud to be associated with.
This is your church – and it’s not even subjective:
Bigotry.
Homophobia.
Child Rape & Molestation.
Moving paedophiles around to avoid prosecution.
Misogyny.
Denying contraceptives to HIV-ridden countries.
Systematic cover-up of child abuse.
Mother & Baby homes
Mass Baby Graves
Are you proud of these traits?
@Robert, Con is incapable of holding any form of logic conversation. He is a classic example of someone that has been institutionalised by religion. Possible too that he suffers from Stockholm Syndrome.
Are you really trying to go there again Con? Try coming up with an original argument like a good chap. Other than that you are only making a show of yourself.
@Con. Laudabiliter.
@Get. Poor Con doesn’t handle facts well. Indeed he attempts to constantly defect from the simple facts.
@Con. Do you really need me to point out your fallacies once again. As long as you spout your nonsense, I’ll keep on your tail.
You tell em Con.
Phillip. You do not lie the truth do you
Are you proud of what you atheist Brethren did and are still doing ?.
You keep saying “Brethren” – you obviously don’t know what it means. Atheists are not a club nor a belief system nor follow any doctrine. I have no kinship with other atheists.
On the other hand, your brethren are proven paedophiles & homophobes & misogynists.
Yes Philip you do just that
Your fellow atheists and Catholic hating brethren in the Soviet Union imprisoned and tortured gay people
ttps://www.reddit.com/…/gay_in_the_gulag_historical_information_abo..
and who drove Alan Turing to his death the man who broke the Nazi code. The Catholic Church eh Robert
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/How-Britain-drove-greatest-genius-Alan-Turing-suicide–just.
You follow no doctrine you say but you are an atheist like your buddies in the Soviet Union who murdered Catholics
Feeble.
Should be off to the gas chamber with him and every last one of them that tore not only individual lives apart but whole families, disgusting sick vile animals… the justice system for these crimes is not near where the penalties should be reform needed
Laughing at the ‘down votes’ here.
Catholic/believers here?
I hate to spoil your fantasy but god doesn’t exist and paedophiles do.
Sort that out and down vote me at your leisure.
Any person that declares themself a catholic is a paedophile enabler.
Brian
You are one helluva fool.
Ha.
Your name is ‘Tom’.
Good boy.
A great number of priests are good and genuine people who have never abused their position or authority but it is so difficult to not heap them all in together. I believe in God but I thi k that all organised religions are human constructs designed to give a select few power over others. No christian God could condone the atrocities committed in the name of various religions.
where’s your evidence for god? because mine was colonialism.
A big barrel of slime sourced from the sewers of Dublin would have more worth that this disgusting example of a human being.
I presume he is not in gen pop of Mountjoy and is more likely in some low security, open house holiday camp, why is that? Were his crimes not heinous enough for the state or did the Archbishop have a word and an envelope for the commissioner.
I would have thought that Walsh has enough convictions for “indecent assault” to keep him in prison until his end of days, why is he out in 2023. Personally I’d like him to live well into his hundreds and for each day to slowly rot in a filthy prison cell, living a hellish and troubled existence and never finding an iota of peace.
Singing a different tune now Tony…evil s(um
I love how Con never mentions the holy crusaides. Nazi’s have nothing on any true holy war.
Most child abuse is carried out by family members. Fact.
While one may be quick to be suspicious of a priest the big risk to your child may be your brother or uncle.
Keep your eye on the ball, just make sure it’s the right ball.
Come to Burke of the Journal for advice on paedophilia, perversion and incest…Fact…
Am I wrong?
@Tom. The fact that the entire Christian faith is based on incest kind of says it all.
A lot of relatives that carry out sexual abuse were in fact abused as children by priests. So while that may be the case, your argument holds very very little weight. Next argument please.
So it’s the priests fault then?
Sorry, do you have any statistics on those who abused were abused by priests? Percentages?
Did you just pluck that out of the air to suit your argument?
Perhaps I could say that most priests who abuse were themselves abused.
Of course to say that would be to abdicate responsibility for ones actions.
Let’s deal with facts.
Any abuse of children by anybody is to be condemned.
Most abuse is carried out by relatives of the abused.
So how is the Christian faith based on incest?
You do come up with some stupid arguments backed up by nothing.
Well you’re the one Tom that claimed the majority of abuses were carried out by relatives. Did you pluck that out of the air or do you actually have anything to back that claim up? I’m speaking from knowledge of people that were abused. I wasn’t abused by a relative Tom, it was a priest. Can I blame my relatives for that? Stop deflecting and acknowledge the facts.
Phillip
I truly sympathise with your experience of abuse. In no way do I condone abuse by anyone, priest or otherwise.
I am merely reflecting the facts that most abuse is committed by relatives. Lots of evidence out there if you look.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-child-abuse
Philip, I know a good decent priest who some made an accusation of abuse against him and it was false. The honourable man was nearly destroyed by the false claims.
Phillip
Acknowledge what fact?
I don’t know what fact you are trying to promote. Child abuse is carried out by many different people in all walks of life. That includes some priests. I have never denied that.
I just acknowledging that most abuse is commuted within the family. That is the unpalatable cold facts.
The very environment where a child should feel safest is in many cases the very place where the child is most at risk.
It’s a horrible thought but it’s true.
have your say