CHILE-PRIEST/ABUSE Irish-born to serve no jail time under in Chile child sex abuse case

Record ID: 334724

  • Title: CHILE-PRIEST/ABUSE Irish-born to serve no jail time under in Chile child sex abuse case
  • Date: 11th November 2014
  • Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (FILE) (OCTOBER 15, 2014) (REUTERS) PRIEST JOHN O'REILLY ARRIVING TO COURTHOUSE O'REILLY INSIDE COURTROOM O'REILLY LOOKING AT PICTURES OF CHILDREN'S FACES O'REILLY OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE
  • Embargoed: 26th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Chile
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAJ7FZ0XS377VRPKJY4CFPTBBD
  • Story Text: An Irish-born priest, found guilty last month of sexually abusing a child in his care at a religious school in Santiago, will avoid jail time under a sentence handed down on Tuesday (November 11).
    A judge sentenced John O'Reilly, who moved to Chile from Ireland in 1985, to four years and a day of "supervised liberty" for abusing the pre-teen girl at the private Colegio Cumbres in the affluent Santiago neighbourhood of Las Condes between 2007 and 2009.
    Judge Francisco Berrios Veloso read out the sentence.
    "The sentence of four years and a day of supervised liberty and an absolute ban on carrying out public, political or professional positions during the sentence," he said.
    O'Reilly, who over the years befriended many powerful conservative businessmen and politicians in Chile, will not be confined at home nor required to periodically check in with a parole officer. He will be free to travel out of the country.
    He will have to attend semi-regular rehabilitation therapy sessions, and his name will be appear on a national pedophile registry intended to keep him from working with children.
    Public prosecutor Lorena Parra, for her part, said she was satisfied with the ruling.
    "Very calm and satisfied because behind the investigation of this case, of this sentence, there is a family. And there is a family that can rest today, there is a family that feels that ultimately justice was heard, they were believed and they can dedicate themselves to helping their children heal," said Parra.
    Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence for the priest.
    The school where the abuse took place is part of the network of the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative religious order whose founder, Mexican Father Marcial Maciel, was found by a Vatican investigation to be a fraud and pedophile himself who had also fathered several children.
    O'Reilly's lawyer, Luis Hermosilla, accepted more steps could be taken in the case.
    "From now on, starting today, there is a 10 day window to lodge an annulment appeal before the Supreme Court, the Appeals Court, with the purpose of overturning the decision," said Hermosilla.
    People gathered outside the courthouse, holding up signs and chanting slogans against the priest.
    Claudia Guerrero, president of a child sexual abuse prevention group, slammed the sentence.
    "We had the remote hope that the sentence was going to be effective, but this is what happens in Chile. It's a disgrace to live in a country that protects pedophiles, it's the reality of living with a man like Ezzati [Archbishop of Santiago and Cardinal, Ricardo Ezzati] who defends these types of situations and it's disgrace I feel now since the (Chilean) president (Michelle Bachelet) also hasn't been able to fulfil her campaign promise which was to improve the quality [of life], in all areas, for sexually abused children," said Guerrero.
    The Catholic Church retains a strong influence in conservative Chile, but cases like this of abuse and other crimes by priests have shaken confidence in recent years. In 2011, powerful Chilean priest Fernando Karadima was found guilty by the Vatican of abusing teenage boys over many years. The criminal case against him collapsed and the church ordered him to live a life of prayer and banned him from celebrating public mass.
    Argentine-born Pope Francis has vowed zero tolerance of clerics who abuse minors after scandals in a number of countries over the years.
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