Church volunteer raped 14 boys

A former lay worker with the Church of Ireland is due to be sentenced for the rape and molestation of 14 young boys over the course of 30 years.

Patrick O’Brien, aged 76, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 48 sample counts of indecent assault, and three counts of sexual assault of the boys between 1977 and 2010 at locations including Kildare, Westmeath, Loughrea in Co Galway, and at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, where he worked as a volunteer.

O’Brien, with an address at Knocklyon Rd, Templeogue, Dublin, was previously sent forward for trial from Dublin District Court. Judge Cormac Dunne previously ruled that the media could identify the accused following an application by RTÉ at the district court.