A Donegal priest has been jailed for seven years by Mr Justice Philip O'Sullivan at the Central Criminal Court for raping a teenage parishioner in the church sacristy over 20 years ago.
Fr Daniel Doherty (48), Derriscleigh, Carrigart, was found guilty by a jury on May 31st last on two charges each of rape and indecent assault.
The jury took just over 5½ hours to find him guilty by 11-1 and 10-2 majority verdicts, respectively, on two charges of raping the then 13-year-old girl in the sacristy on dates in 1985.
The jury found him not guilty on a third charge of raping her in the parochial house in 1985 but guilty by an 11-1 majority of indecently assaulting her on that occasion. He was also found guilty by an 11-1 majority of indecently assaulting her in his car on a date in December 1984.
Doherty had denied all the charges during his trial and gave evidence to the jury in his defence denying the charges. He claimed the woman asked him for money for an abortion but later told him her brother paid for the operation. The jury heard medical evidence that the woman never had an abortion and never received money from her brother for this alleged reason.
Mr Justice O'Sullivan imposed a concurrent three-year sentences on the indecent assault charges. He said the court had received "a great number of testimonials" on Doherty's work as "a popular and hardworking priest" who gave dedicated service and leadership.
Mr Justice O'Sullivan said rape had been long established as one of our most serious crimes. The victim was unable to tell her family about it at the time but told her elder sister who confronted Doherty without much success. A complaint made to her teachers did not result either in a proper investigation by the school and gardaí were not contacted until she made her formal allegations 18 years later.
He said the impact report showed the effects of his offending on her and the counselling she has had to receive. It was apparent that it took great courage on the victim's part to persist with her complaints and to give evidence despite all the difficulties she faced, including a strong solicitor's letter.
He said: "Unfortunately, I have heard nothing in the nature of remorse or acceptance of the verdict which might go towards mitigation."
He noted that Doherty committed the crimes during his first spell as a curate when he was about 26-27 years old and had not re-offended since then. He took into account also the effect of media reporting of the trial and that sentence was being imposed some 25 years after the offence, so that while he considered nine years was the appropriate sentence for the rape charges he mitigated that to seven years.
Mr Justice O'Sullivan also certified Doherty to be registered as a sex offender under the legislation.
Sgt Bernadette Gillespie told Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, that the victim first made her allegations formally in a letter to the Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Séamus Hegarty, in 2003. That led to the Garda investigation and to the trial.
She told that Doherty stopped his car at a pier while driving her home one night in December 1984 and then climbed over on top of her kissing her and touching her body.
He told the victim that she was not to tell anyone and that anybody would believe a priest before her.