US lawyers issue call to help find Irish paedophile priest O'Grady

Ali Bracken Crime correspondent

US ATTORNEYS representing clerical child abuse victims are considering taking out advertisements in Irish newspapers offering a reward for information about the whereabouts of defrocked Irish paedophile priest Oliver O'Grady. O'Grady was deported to Ireland in 2000 after spending seven years in prison in the US for sexually abusing two boys.

The former priest ob­tained notoriety here when he agreed to feature in a documentary discussing his sexual abuse of children. Deliver Us From Evil, which was nominated for an Oscar, was released in 2006 and many of O'Grady's victims also featured in it discussing the impact his abuse has had on their lives.

The documentary also explores how high-ranking clergy in California continuously moved O'Grady from one parish to another over several years when allegations of sexual abuse began to emerge. He has admitted to sexually abusing many children in depositions, but has only been convicted for abuse against two boys.

O'Grady was sent to the US soon after he was ordained a priest.

The law firm now has enough evidence to proceed with more civil actions against him.

The two victims allege abuse by the former priest in the US.

However, the firm cannot find him in Ireland to serve him with the appropriate papers and are now considering offering a reward as well as hiring private detectives to try and track him down.

"We have no idea where he is. The two new cases we have against him were young altar boys who we maintain he assaulted over a three year period. They were aged under 10," attorney Patrick Wall, of Manly, McGuire & Stewart in California, told the Sunday Tribune.

"I think he is still an incredible threat to children. The last known sighting of him was in Dundalk. I met O'Grady the last time we served him with papers. He's the Hannibal Lecter of the clerical world. He's admitted to abusing post- and prepubescent boys and girls."

http://www.tribune.ie/article/2008/oct/26/us-lawyers-issue-call-to-help-find-irish-paedophil/