Child rapist priest jailed for 15 years

DEFROCKED Catholic priest Paul Shanley, a central figure in the Boston Archdiocese clergy sex abuse scandal, was jailed for 12 to 15 years yesterday for raping a boy repeatedly in the 1980s.

“It is difficult to imagine a more egregious misuse of trust and authority,” Boston Judge Stephen Neel said in imposing the sentence.

Shanley, 74, once known for a being a hip “street priest” who reached out to troubled children and homosexuals, was convicted last week of two counts each of child rape and indecent assault and battery on a child. Prosecutor Lynn Rooney had recommended a life sentence, saying Shanley used his position of authority to gain the trust of the boys he then molested.