I’m not sorry but I won’t do it again, says marathon attack priest

ECCENTRIC priest Fr Neil Horan refused to apologise for disrupting the Olympic marathon but promised he would not give a repeat performance.

“I can categorically state now that I will not break the law because I have done it twice and Christ demands things in twos,” said the Co Kerry cleric who ran out on the Silverstone race track during the British Grand Prix last year.

“I have done it now on a world stage at two events and that is it.”

Fr Horan, who claims to be on a mission to draw attention to the Bible, arrived back at his London home yesterday after Greek authorities gave him a suspended sentence for his attack on Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading last Sunday’s race when Horan broke from the crowd and charged at him.

He told RTÉ Radio’s Liveline he did not intend to knock de Lima over and accepted he had probably cost the athlete the gold medal. “I hope when Jesus comes that Jesus will give him the prize I took away from him,” he said.

Fr Horan, who now lives in Nunhead, south London, said he deeply regretted having to target de Lima but hoped he would be “rewarded by God” on Judgment Day.

He added: “It was a terrible tragedy for me personally to have to take down that little man. It hurt me and it almost brought me to tears when I saw it on the television later. I pray God will give him something even greater than a gold medal.”

Fr Horan added: “I did it for the same reason as Silverstone. I want to give a world stage to the greatest book in the world, the Holy Bible, and for the greatest event that is going to happen in our lifetime, the second coming of Christ.

“The 21st century demands different reactions and I believe major events are the only way to capture people’s imagination and attention.” He said he knew people were angry with him. “As far as their understanding would go they would see it as possibly disgraceful and downright dreadful behaviour,” he said.

But he said how God and history would judge him was more important and added: “I don’t wish as it were to apologise for a noble cause which I feel that I’m engaged in.”

Fr Horan, who is suspended by the Catholic Church and lives on welfare, described how he waited for an hour in a café across the road from the marathon route in Athens last Sunday evening before making his move.

He changed into his costume before leaving the cafe and covered it up with a white coat to avoid detection. There was no barrier stopping him from crossing on to the race route apart from a tape which he easily lifted up.

He said he initially only intended to run out in front of de Lima carrying a poster so the athlete would have to slow down and dodge him but a lorry clearing the route ahead of the runners obscured his view and when he first spotted the runner, he didn’t have time to get out his poster.

“I thought to myself unless I run straight at him now he will be gone and I will look a right fool so I ran straight out. No way did I mean to knock that young man,” he said.

He admitted suffering from depression and said he was on medication. “I am a sorrowful figure in many ways,” he said.