Two brothers who threatened a priest with claims connected to drug and sexual abuse were sentenced to a total of 5½ years imprisonment at Waterford Circuit Court yesterday.
The jury last January found Rossa O'Donovan (29), King Street, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, guilty of making an unreasonable demand with menaces on Fr Michael Kennedy at Fenor parochial house, Co Waterford, on May 7th, 2003.
James O'Donovan (31), then of Cathal Brugha Street in Dungarvan, had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges.
Rossa O'Donovan, having 93 previous convictions, was yesterday sentenced to 3½ years imprisonment, while James O'Donovan, with 38 previous convictions, received a two-year sentence.
The priest had first come into contact with James O'Donovan after one of his brothers had drowned, it emerged. He had started working as a groundsman for Fr Kennedy in 2002 and the pair had initially got on well. However, James O'Donovan was made redundant when his work started to deteriorate due to a continuing drug habit.
Fr Kennedy gave James O'Donovan €200 when he claimed his mother had died, but Fr Kennedy learned two weeks later that she was alive.
The brothers then called to the priest after Mass in May 2003 and asked for money.