A WITHHELD chapter of the Murphy report relating to former Dublin priest Tony Walsh is expected to be published on Monday following a High Court decision yesterday.
The Murphy report followed a statutory inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations by church and State authorities in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese between 1975 and 2004.
Chapter 19 of the report and 21 other references to Walsh were withheld by Mr Justice Paul Gilligan on October 15th, 2009, prior to publication of the report on November 26th, 2009.
The ruling was made as criminal proceedings were then pending against Walsh on charges of the sexual abuse of three children. On December 6th last, Walsh was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment, four suspended, after pleading guilty in two of the cases and on being convicted following a trial in the third.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Gilligan noted that the period of appeal from conviction and sentencing in the case had yet to expire and that the probability was that it may well be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Bearing in mind that any appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal will not involve a jury and that no submissions made could prejudice such an appeal, and taking account of the public interest in the publication of those areas of the 2009 Murphy report, the judge concluded it was appropriate that the order of October 15th, 2009, be set aside.
He said a second order made by him on October 21st, 2009, which redacted Chapter 20 of the Murphy report, should remain in place. He said he would consider publication of Chapter 20 on July 5th next.