In March 2019, the Offender Database reported that Francis McDermott, 75, of Atlantic Way, Westward Ho!, Bideford, Devon, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court. McDermott, a former Catholic priest, was convicted of 18 counts of non-recent sexual offences involving six victims, both boys and girls, between 1971 and 1978.
The court heard that the paedophile exploited his position of trust while serving as a priest in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and Norwich, Norfolk. His victims, some as young as 10, were subjected to a series of indecent assaults and acts of gross indecency. During the sentencing hearing, one survivor described the “devastating impact” of the abuse, stating it left her life in “fractured pieces.” It was revealed that the church had been informed of the allegations on two separate occasions decades ago, but failed to report them to the police after McDermott denied the claims.
Following a trial at Aylesbury Crown Court, a jury returned unanimous verdicts on 16 counts and majority verdicts on two further counts. McDermott was found guilty of 11 counts of indecent assault on children under 14, seven counts of indecent assault on children under 16, and one count of gross indecency. Detective Constable Catriona Cameron of Thames Valley Police praised the “immense courage” of the victims for coming forward after so many years to bring the former priest to justice.
On March 14, 2019, Francis McDermott was sentenced to nine years and 11 months in prison. Judge Catherine Tulk told McDermott that he had abused the trust of the children and their parents in a “callous fashion”. She had squandered numerous opportunities to admit his wrongdoing over the preceding decades.
As a result of his convictions for serious sexual offences against children, McDermott has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is managed under the highest level of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Devon. He is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which legally bars him from any contact with children and prevents him from ever returning to any form of ministry or position of authority within the community.
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