A priest from Co Kerry has been sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Liverpool for aiding the rape of a young girl in 2005.Jeremiah McGrath gave thousands of pounds to a paedophile, William Adams, to help groom the 12-year-old for sex.
The 63-year-old is a member of St Patrick's Missionary Society, Kiltegan in Co Wicklow, and has worked in Dublin and the Clogher diocese. He spent 18 years as a missionary in Nigeria.
He had been living in Roslea, Co Fermanagh, where he was a curate from 1990 and then parish priest from 2003.
Adams, 38, originally from Belfast, was given a life sentence after pleading guilty to rape and abuse of the child. The judge ordered that he serve a minimum of seven years and six months.
McGrath was found guilty of facilitating the abuse at Liverpool Crown Court last month.
He first met Adams in a hostel for the homeless in Dublin in 1988. The two men subsequently developed a relationship.
At this stage Adams had already been to jail in the Republic for abusing a young girl and admitted as much to the priest. McGrath had denied all the charges.
During the trial Adams was described as a predatory paedophile. The court heard evidence of how he befriended a dysfunctional Liverpool family with two children. He gave the young girl presents and paid for clothes, meals and hair styling.
The court heard claims that Adams had been given £23,000 over an eight-month period by McGrath.
In a statement the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy, said this was a very sad and tragic case and his thoughts and prayers were with the child involved and her family.
As soon as the allegations came to light, he said, Fr McGrath had been suspended from ministry, placed on administrative leave and was required to vacate the parochial house.
He said the diocese had co-operated fully with the police investigation and that Fr McGrath's future as a priest would now be considered.
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