Garda 'laughed at' for making a complaint

By Edel Kennedy
Thursday December 17 2009
Irish Independent

A RETIRED garda has revealed his family's name was blackened in the community after he complained about Fr Naughton's paedophile behaviour.

John Brennan went to the parish priest in Blessington, Co Wicklow, in 1984 but said he was "laughed at".

"He asked me did I think he (Fr Naughton) was some kind of homo," said Mr Brennan yesterday. "One of the mothers went to him (parish priest) and he chased her out of the house with a walking stick. She was ostracised as well."

He said priests used their sermons to raise suspicions about his handling of local committee finances.

Mr Brennan was due to appear at the Mervyn Rundle civil case in 2003 in which Mr Rundle was seeking damages for abuse at the hands of Fr Naughton. Mr Brennan said he was called for a meeting with Cardinal Desmond Connell where he told him he held the church authorities -- and the Cardinal himself -- responsible for Fr Naughton's behaviour.

The Church paid Mr Rundle a record sum, estimated at around €330,000.