Belgian authorities today expressed concern over an Irish court decision to release a convicted paedophile on condition he spend the rest of his life in Belgium.
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James Kelly outside Cork Circuit Criminal Court in November 1999
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It is understood the authorities are unhappy they learned of the court ruling through the media earlier this week.
On Monday, Judge A.G. Murphy gave leave for James Kelly (75), known as Brother Ambrose, to be released from the Curragh Camp prison next week, provided the Belgian authorities agree to allow the Brother of Charity spend the rest of his life at a Belgian nursing home nominated by his order.
Kelly was sentenced to 18 consecutive two-year sentences in November 1999 for sexually abusing a total of 14 children in Cork and Galway in the 1950s and 1960s. But following a review of his sentence last year, Judge Murphy agreed to reduce his sentence on condition he move to a nursing home in England upon release.
However, counsel for Kelly told Cork Circuit Court a home in England could not be found but a nursing home in Belgium was available. Judge Murphy agreed Kelly could be released to travel to Belgium next week provided Belgian authorities agreed.
However, it has now emerged the Belgian Ministry of Justice has not been officially approached over the proposal and that its legal experts already have the matter under consideration. ireland.comhas learned that a number of ministers are unhappy at the proposal.
"Belgium doesn’t want to become a reservoir for the continent’s convicted paedophiles," one official source said.
A spokesman for the Belgian Justice Ministry told ireland.com: "As yet no one from the Irish authorities has been in contact with us but it is obvious they'll require some sort of co-operation from Belgian institutions to ensure he [Kelly] adheres to the conditions of his release".
Kelly, who had retired at the time of his trial in 1999, was originally sentenced to 36 years - the longest prison sentence for sex abuse in Irish legal history - after pleading guilty to 18 sample counts of indecent assault over a period covering 1956 to 1968.
Crimes committed by the clergy are especially controversial in Belgium at the moment as the trial of Protestant Pastor Mr Andras Pandy (74), accused of the murder of six members of his family in 1994, began this week.