July 2009
Monthly Archive
THE report into clerical child abuse in Dublin is likely to be published with large sections blacked out, it has emerged.
Despite concerns over the legal implications of releasing the controversial report, it is understood that the Justice Minister Dermot Ahern is in favour of making it public as soon as possible.
The Cabinet decided yesterday to refer the report to the Attorney General for advice on what can be published.
He has been asked to advise ministers whether the report is suitable for publication, albeit with censor strips, known as redactions.
Mr Ahern received the final draft on Tuesday and briefed the Cabinet on its contents, which includes the names of a number people who are currently before the courts in relation to alleged abuse.
The main concern is that the report could jeopardise these cases if published before the legal process is complete.
Mr Ahern is understood to have told other Government members that he was obliged by legislation to seek the AG’s advice on elements of the report.
However, the AG may yet seek further assistance from the High Court, which could stall the publication even further.
Special
A Government spokesperson is unsure whether the Court would offer a special sitting to deal with the issue before the end of its summer break in September.
The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has indicated that the report will shock parishioners.
It is the work of Circuit Court Judge Yvonne Murphy, who looked into 450 separate instances of alleged abuse by priests in the Dublin area.
Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting also dealt with the fallout from the Ryan Report into clerical abuse.
The Government is considering an implementation plan to respond to recommendations made in the report.
In particular, many victims still want further clarification on the issue of compensation.
The 18 religious orders mentioned in the report are in the process of forwarding statements of financial affairs to the Government. Most orders have now filed their submissions but a Government spokesperson said “one or two are substantially delayed”.
Any decision on compensation is unlikely to be made before ministers are able to assess the full picture.
More charges have been filed against a local Roman Catholic Priest. Published reports say Monsignor Robert Borne, who was in court yesterday (Tuesday July 14th), is being charged with two more counts each of gross indecency, indecent assault and breach of trust, in connection with allegations he sexually assaulted two teenage boys between 1977 and 1995. That’s on top of the six similar charges laid agaisnt him in April in relation to allegations involving three teenage boys. The Monsignor was arrested after he turned himself into police on June 5th, and that’s when the new investigations began according to police. Borne was once the parish priest at St. James Church in Eganville and a pastor for a mission church in Golden Lake called the Nativity of Mary.
original story here.
SANTA ANA — A retired priest with a history of abuse allegations is behind bars today on new charges that he molested a young boy in the rectory and sacristy of a Costa Mesa church in the 1990s.
Denis Lyons, 75, of Seal Beach is being held on $100,000 bail at Orange County Jail and is expected to be arraigned today on charges of molesting the victim when he was in second and third grade from January 1992 and December 1995 at St. John the Baptist Catholic School, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
Lyons assaulted the boy four times in the school’s adjoining church, prosecutors said.
Lyons – who was removed from ministry in 2002 — was taken into custody while playing cards at a community center near his Seal Beach home Monday, prosecutors said.
He has been charged with four felony counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14, along with a sentencing enhancement of committing substantial sexual conduct. If convicted of the charges, Lyons faces 14 years in prison.
Lyons has been criminally charged with molestation in the past.
In 2003, he was charged with molesting another male youth between 1978 and 1981 at St. John the Baptist. Prosecutors also accused him of assaulting two other male victims to corroborate that case.
But those charges had to be dismissed because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated prosecutions of some older sex crimes.
“Our community has waited a long time for justice as to this defendant,” said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas at a news conference this morning.
Lyons, who now resides in the retirement community of Leisure World in Seal Beach, was pastor at St. John’s when, in 1993, he admitted to inappropriate behavior with two adults in 1979.
The Diocese of Orange placed him into counseling, but then placed on administrative leave from the diocese in 2002 – when he was assigned to St. Edward Church in Dana Point. He was removed from ministry that year.
The priest has been a financial liability to diocese, which has paid out more than $4 million in settlements of sex-abuse claims since 2001.
The most recent settlement came in February, when the diocese settled a lawsuit brought by Jonathan Kirrer, 24, of Fountain Valley for an undisclosed amount.
Kirrer, a student at St. John the Baptist, alleged he was abused in 1994 and 1995. Kirrer claimed that Lyons abused him four times – twice in the parish rectory and twice in the church’s sacristy.
He reported the abuse to Costa Mesa police soon after filing the lawsuit in March 2008. Lyons denied the allegations.
Prosecutors and Kirrer’s lawyer, V. James DeSimone would not comment on whether Kirrer was the victim in this case. Typically, alleged victims in criminal cases remain anonymous unless they otherwise choose to identify themselves.
DeSimone commended prosecutors for bringing charges against Lyons, and also criticized the diocese for not removing Lyons from ministry sooner.
“There are many victims who have brought forth allegations against Father Lyons,” DeSimone said.
He mentioned the case of Karl Romahn, a former Navy Seal who accused Lyons of molesting him and his brother in 1979.
Romahn came forward in 1994 and told Msg. John Urell of the allegations, DeSimone said.
The diocese ended up settling that lawsuit, he added.
“The diocese had credible allegations brought by two brothers who wanted nothing more than for Father Lyons not to harm other children,” DeSimone said. “Several individuals could have been saved from having to go through what they did but the diocese turned a blind eye toward those allegations.”
Ryan Lilyengren, a spokesman for the diocese, said today that Lyons “was removed from ministry April 24, 2002 and was committed to a life of prayer and penance. Rev. Lyons has not been permitted to return to ministry or the Diocese of Orange in any public capacity since his removal.”
He added that the diocese cooperated with authorities in the investigation.
“We remain committed to ensuring the events of the past are never repeated and encourage all to pray for the victims of sexual abuse and their families,” he said.
Lyons’ three lawyers who handled the Kirrer lawsuit could not be reached.
Authorities ask other potential victims of Lyons to call them at: 714-754-5360 or 714-347-8558.
original story here.
A Richmond city building inspector and former youth minister has been indicted by an Anderson County grand jury on six counts of third-degree rape, five counts of third-degree sodomy, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of second-degree sexual abuse.
Gordon H. Lunceford, 47, of the 1000 block of Walnut Grove Circle, is accused of molesting two victims between February and November of 1992, according to court records obtained by The Anderson News in Lawrenceburg and provided to the Register.
The victims in the indictment were both under 16 years of age, but are identified only by initials.
Lunceford is a former youth minister at churches in Anderson, Franklin and Madison counties, according to Kentucky State Police.
A Gordon Lunceford served as a youth minister at First Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg in 1992, church employees told The Anderson News.
The Rev. Bill Fort, pastor of First Baptist Church on the Eastern Bypass in Richmond, said Lunceford was interim youth director “for a very short time” about two years ago.
Fort said there were no complaints or accusations against Lunceford during the brief time he worked with youth at First Baptist.
A member of Rosedale Baptist Church said Lunceford had once worked with the church’s youth group, but attempts Friday to reach two of the church’s trustees were unsuccessful.
Lunceford posted a $10,000 cash bond and was released from the Franklin County Regional Jail after he surrendered to authorities on June 5, jail officials said Friday.
He is employed by the city of Richmond as a building inspector, but has taken personal leave and has not been on the job recently, according to City Manager David Evans.
Evans said he learned of Lunceford’s indictment Thursday evening through the news media and would “take a look at this” on Tuesday.
City Hall will be closed Monday for the Independence Day holiday.
Lunceford is scheduled for a pretrial conference in Anderson Circuit Court on July 21.
If convicted, Lunceford could receive one to five years in prison on each of the rape and sodomy charges as well as the first-degree sexual abuse charge, which are all Class D felonies. Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by 12 months in jail if convicted.
State police Detective Luke VanHoose, of Post 12 in Frankfort, is investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Post 12 at 1-502-227-2221.
An indictment is a formal statement of charges and does not imply guilt.
original story here.
MERCEDES - A minister from a church in Donna will face more charges in connection with a child sex abuse case.
The Mercedes police chief tells NEWSCHANNEL 5 61-year-old Tomas Gonzales will face two new felony counts of indecency with a child.
A third victim has come forward alleging abuse.
Police say all of the victims are relatives of the minister.
Gonzales is behind bars charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of indecency with a child.
Gonzales has already confessed to committing the abuse.
original story here.
Pastor Donald Stewart, who was convicted of sexually molesting several boys under his care at the Swift Purcell Boys Home in St. Mary, was given an 18 month suspended sentence on Friday when he appeared before the St. Mary Circuit Court.
The sentence was suspended for 12 months, which means that the pastor will go to prison for 18 months if he commits another offence within the year.
On Tuesday a jury convicted Pastor Stewart, who was the manager of the boys’ home on two counts of indecent assault.
However, he is not out of the woods as yet as he is scheduled to appear in the Home Circuit Court on November 16 to answer to 30 counts of indecent assault and buggery.
Pastor Stewart was arrested and charged in April last year by members of CISOCA following allegations that he sexually molested several wards of the state at the home.
The case sparked outrage from human rights groups when it came to light.
One such group, Jamaicans for Justice, lamented that enough was not being done to protect the welfare of children.
original story here.
When a pastor thought it would be fun to visit an exotic dancer at her home in Fargo, we’re thinking he didn’t realize it would result in the woman allegedly extorting $7,000 of hush money and the eventual tattling to his wife and the church leadership about their sex.
A 46-year-old exotic dancer, Bunny Annette Byington, is charged with extorting $7,000 from a married pastor in exchange for keeping their relationship a secret from his wife and his church leaders. When he stopped paying, she did just that and exposed the man.
When the flow of hush money dried up, Byington didn’t hesitate to bust the pastor. She allegedly told his wife, a senior pastor, and an assistant to the bishop about their sexy fun time.
She didn’t stop there. She also sent the bishop a photo of the pastor in his underwear and a T-shirt. Stick it to him, honey.
The relationship started three years ago, according to the complaint. The exotic dancer invited him to her home for dances and he eventually paid her for sex.
original story here.
CROSBY, Texas — What was supposed to be a safe haven for children has turned into a crime scene after a man who worked as a church pastor and school headmaster is behind bars. He’s accused of abusing young boys.
Police say it involves children who attend the Living Praise Church and Academy on Woodforest Boulevard.
Investigators say they know of two victims right now: a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy. They say the pastor at the Living Praise Church and Academy was preying on the youngsters he was supposed to be guiding.
“To use the trust that kids normally have with authority figures to abuse them is incredibly devastating,” said Assistant District Attorney Eric Devlin.
Darrell Dunn, 51, has been a pastor in northeast Harris County for some time. Police say he didn’t have a criminal record, but now he’s been charged with indecency with a child and online solicitation of a minor.
“[He’s accused of] physically molesting those children, in this case, touching their genitals, two different students, both of them teenage males,” Devlin said.
Dunn is also accused of sending sexually explicit pictures to the students through the Internet and through texting.
He was arrested at his home in Crosby.
According to investigators, he often had get togethers at his home with boys from his academy. They say the incidents happened there and at the school.
“The victims have told us that they’re concerned about this happening to other boys. That’s why they came forward,” Devlin said.
Investigators fear there are other victims and they want to hear from them.
original here.
MARGARETVILLE — Authorities in Delaware County lodged sexual abuse and other charges against a Roman Catholic priest with ties to the Capital Region who is accused of spanking several males ranging in age from 11 to 19.
The Rev. James J. McDevitt, 62, was serving as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Margaretville, located roughly 20 miles south of Schoharie County, before the investigation that led to 20 misdemeanor charges.
According to the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, McDevitt was ordained in 1997 and then served as associate pastor at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville.
He served as chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in Troy from 1999 to 2000 and then as associate pastor at St. Mary’s in Ballston Spa.
Details of the investigation were not immediately available Friday, but an officer at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department said McDevitt is accused of spanking the males.
The charges relate to six boys in Delaware County, and investigators allege McDevitt had criminal contact with two of the alleged victims roughly three years ago.
McDevitt is charged with six counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, seven counts of forcible touching and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department.
When the investigation began, McDevitt requested a voluntary administrative leave and it was granted, Albany Roman Catholic Diocese spokesman Ken Goldfarb said Friday.
Goldfarb said when on administrative leave, priests are not allowed to celebrate Mass, administer other sacraments nor appear in public as a priest.
Other priests will fill in at the Margaretville church, Goldfarb said.
Goldfarb said the diocese has not received any complaints about McDevitt in his 12 years as a priest.
McDevitt served as pastor of St. Peter’s in Delhi, Delaware County, before being appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Margaretville.
original here.
Of all the horrid accusations against evangelist Tony Alamo — and the list is long — it was the testimony of formerly loyal subjects, recounting “marriages” between their cult leader and girls as young as 8, that may end his 40-year rule and send him to prison for life.
Born Bernie Lazar Hoffman, the 74-year-old faces up to 175 years behind bars following his conviction Friday on 10 counts of transporting young girls across state lines for sexual purposes. Some jurors wept while women described being molested by and forced into sex with their decades-older pastor.
Among many who’ve watched Alamo’s handiwork since the 1970s — which produced allegations including kidnapping, brainwashing, child abuse, tax evasion and threatening a federal judge — there was never any doubt the street-hustler-turned-pastor should be locked away for good. Their question is, what took so long?
“This man has been running around the country for decades getting away with doing awful things and hurtful things to people,” said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which lists Tony Alamo Christian Ministries as a hate group for its virulent anti-Catholicism and homophobic leaflets.
“Law enforcement is very reluctant to intervene in what looks like religion,” Potok said “You’ve got to be very careful when you are attacking people’s beliefs. There is a tendency to not want to violate people’s constitutional rights.”
To understand Alamo’s twisted legacy and once-massive movement, it helps to know the beginning.
Bernie Hoffman of Joplin, Mo., a self-admitted petty criminal, arrived in Los Angeles in the 1960s, claiming he was a music promoter with clients including the Beatles. In a bar, he met a chain-smoking aspiring actress named Susan Lipowitz.
Both were married to others. Both soon divorced. They married in 1966 in Las Vegas and legally changed their names to Tony and Susan Alamo for reasons that remain unclear.
The Alamos built a congregation from runaways, drug addicts, and drifters that littered Hollywood Boulevard. They started businesses, including making rhinestone-studded denim jackets that fetched $500 or more.
They promised eternal salvation and free room and board. In exchange, they demanded total control of their followers’ money, communication and sex lives. The congregation swelled to 700 or more and the Alamos grew rich.
When Susan died in 1982 from lung cancer, Alamo displayed her embalmed body in a glass coffee table, ordering the faithful to pray for her resurrection.
But defections started. Former members carried tales of corporal punishment, forced marriages and being refused food for days.
In 1987, brothers Carey Miller and Bob Miller fled the California compound, leaving three sons. When the men came back one night to take the boys, they found that 11-year-old Justin had been paddled. Authorities said he had been beaten for “misbehavior” including asking a science question in history class, punished with 140 blows from a 3-foot board while Alamo gave orders via speaker phone.
“Justin Miller was beaten and mistreated,” said Pennsylvania attorney Peter Georgiades, who specializes in cult cases. Not as punishment, he said, but “because they were trying to control all the other parents who were thinking ‘we should get out of here.’”
His bloodied backside prompted authorities to raid the compound, but Alamo was gone.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office charged him with felony child abuse and the FBI launched a manhunt. Alamo was arrested in 1991 in Florida, where he’d been living under an assumed name and running local businesses. The IRS also charged him with tax evasion, and he was sentenced to six years for refusing to pay taxes totaling $7.9 million. While he was incarcerated, Los Angeles prosecutors dismissed their case against Alamo.
After Alamo left federal prison, he started another compound in the tiny town of Fouke, Ark., near the Texas border, with about 100 followers. He still preached that Armageddon was around the corner and young girls made the best wives.
Until last September, when more than 100 agents, including state police and the FBI, raided his Arkansas property. Alamo surrendered five days later and was denied bail. For the first time, his followers openly revolted.
Women were talking — on an Internet site and to state police, who alerted the FBI. They were tired of being abused, they said. They’d been given to Alamo as teenagers. They’d seen others handed over at ages 8, 9 and 10.
Neighbors, angry that Alamo posted armed guards on the public road leading to his property, said they’d had enough. The town council got complaints.
Carl Hassan, a mental health therapist who counsels cult defectors, said he’d heard the abuse complaints and offered help. “There was a lot of lobbying done behind the scenes on behalf of these victims by their families and others,” he said. He declined to provide details, and neither the FBI nor Arkansas State Police would comment on the Arkansas case.
“Liars,” Alamo called them on his Web site. “Bull—-,” he said aloud in court.
original here.
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