A Co Cork paedophile priest was sentenced to 11 years in jail in Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, but because of what the judge described as the "startlingly different" aspects of the case, the prison term was suspended.
Garda evidence described how two 12-year-old boys, one of them an altar boy and the other interested in the priesthood, came into contact with the curate, who was then aged 33, in 1988-89 and were sexually abused by him.
At Easter 1990 the priest, who cannot be named for legal reasons, voluntarily confessed to his bishop, sought help, undertook treatment and therapy in the US and at home and was genuinely remorseful for the damage he had caused to his victims.
Neither boy reported the offences, but last year one of them saw the priest in Cork wearing his clerical collar and became concerned. The victim had understood that the man had left the priesthood and he only reported the offences to protect other potential victims. He did not know about the transformation in the priest in the intervening years.
Garda inquiries uncovered the second victim and, on being approached in March, the priest immediately admitted the offences. He pleaded guilty in court to six charges of sexual assault on one boy and one on the second boy between November 1988 and July 1989.
Both victims were now aged 20 and third-level students and were "relieved and grateful" that they did not have to come to court to give evidence, the court was told.
Sister Mary Keenan, a professional counsellor specialising in sexual abuse and paedophilia cases, said she had been treating and advising the priest since 1990. "I referred him to a well-known clinic in the United States. He went there for seven months and paid £7,000 towards his treatment," she said.
"It's extremely unusual for an offender to come looking for help before he is caught, but this man did. Since 1990 he has done everything asked of him by his therapists, including the taking of medication to reduce his sex drive. He has made an excellent recovery, is fully monitored and is highly unlikely to reoffend."
The priest continued his ministry under supervision and was kept away from circumstances in which he could meet young boys until his arrest in March.
Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, for the defendant, said he had suffered profoundly in the loss of the career he loved, remorse for the damage to his victims and the shame he had brought to his church.
Judge Anthony Murphy said that the crimes the defendant admitted were "a monstrous breach of trust", and the general view of society and the courts was that they merited a harsh custodial sentence. "However, this case is startlingly different from every other of this type that I have heard. Never before have I heard of a perpetrator owning up and expressing remorse before any allegations were made."
Judge Murphy ordered that the man continue with therapy and suspended the sentence for four years.