US bishop escapes child abuse trial

Just hours after an indictment against former Springfield Bishop Thomas Dupre was unsealed yesterday accusing him of molesting two boys in the 1970s, the county prosecutor refused to pursue the case because the statute of limitations has expired.

The decision by Hampden District Attorney William Bennett means that, though Dupre is the first Roman Catholic bishop to face criminal charges in the sex abuse scandal still plaguing the US church, he won’t go to trial for them.