'People just feel very hurt and let down'

The community of Roslea have been left reeling following the conviction of their parish priest, Fr Jeremiah McGrath of facilitating a sexual offence on a 12 year-old-girl.

The Sinn Fein Councillor for the area, Brian McCaffrey articulated the feelings of the community, saying: "There is an overwhelming feeling of hurt, betrayal, and of shock.

"Fr McGrath came to Roslea in 1990, and since then he has been accepted into the community here. He was on the Board of Governors of two locals schools, he was in a position of responsibility and, apart from anything else, he had a duty of care and should have known better.

"It is extremely worrying to think a priest, someone in a trusted position, would allow a predatory pedophile like Adams into our community. The parochial house, where he was staying with Fr McGrath, is only 100 metres from a playgroup and virtually the same distance from the secondary school. It is extremely worrying for parents, especially since we know that at least on one occasion Adams accompanied Fr McGrath on a visit to a school in the area".

He continued: "People just feel very hurt, and let down. Fr McGrath clearly knew the history of Adams, he can't deny that, and that just makes it all the worse."

As news of his conviction began to sink it, Councillor McCaffrey said Roslea people had been further let down by the PSNI and Social Services who he said had failed to keep account of the movements of Billy Adams, even after he had been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register: "There are serious questions which need to be asked', he suggested. "Clearly, the people of this area have been failed by the system when a high profile pedophile was allowed into the vicinity of schools and into the parochial house."

Mr McCaffrey called for Social Services to respond quickly to the situation which now existed in Roslea, where, he explained: "Many parents, and others in the community, do feel the need to speak to somebody about what has happened. And, I would like to see some sort of service set up where people, if they have concerns, are able to ask questions in a confidential manner. But, this needs to be done quickly, Social Services need act immediately," he urged.

Fr McGrath is due to be sentenced on 14 June for facilitating a sexual offence. However, the judge in the case remanded the priest in custody and warned him he faces a custodial sentence. Fr McGrath also faces the possibility of a re-trial on one further charge of facilitating a child sex offence, and one count of indecently assaulting the girl himself, after the jury failed to reach a decision on either offence.