Residents protest against housing of paedophile priest

A group calling itself Working Class Action (WCA) is calling on local people in the Sheriff St/North Wall area to contact the…

A group calling itself Working Class Action (WCA) is calling on local people in the Sheriff St/North Wall area to contact the Minister of Justice to express their concern at the placing of convicted paedophile Fr Ivan Payne in Dublin's north inner city.

The group distributed 1,000 leaflets in the area last night to highlight the presence of Fr Payne in the area. They say concerned local residents contacted the group and wanted to hold a march to urge him to leave the area.

Fr Payne was released from jail last month after serving 4½ years of a six-year sentence. He will remain a priest in the care of the Dublin archdiocese but he has been barred by the Catholic Church from administering the sacraments.

He was convicted in 1998 after pleading guilty to 13 sample charges of indecently assaulting nine boys on dates from 1968 to 1987.

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The Church said on his release he would be provided with accommodation by the archdiocese and an income equivalent to that of a retired priest.

Working Class Action says Fr Payne has been housed in a luxury apartment close to a number of childrens' facilities in the area.

A spokesman for WCA said someone within the Justice or Probation service made the decision, "and placed our children in danger as a result."

He continued: "We believe that a mechanism must be put in place at a national policy level to ensure that communities are consulted, or at least informed, in advance of such a placement."