UK priest surprises court with secret marriage

March 15, 2013 @ 8:51 am

LONDON (AP) - A jury in northern England got a surprise at the trial of a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl: The cleric has been secretly married for more than a decade.

The Bradford Telegraph and Argus quoted defense lawyer Jeremy Hill-Baker as saying that jurors at Bradford Crown Court could be forgiven if they thought that Father William Finnegan's vow of celibacy had left him lonely, sad and sexually frustrated.

But Hill-Baker said that was not the case, and jurors would hear evidence from the 59-year-old Finnegan and his wife, Beverley Dawson, that the pair had been "deeply in love."

"No, you didn't mishear me. His wife," Hill-Baker said, explaining that the couple wed secretly in 1999.

Dawson told the court that Finnegan would visit her after finishing church services each Sunday, then go back to work on Tuesday.

Of course being married, in itself, does not prevent a man from committing sexual assault. Finnegan denied forcefully kissing and touching the bottom of a 17-year-old girl, but the jury on Friday found him guilty of sexual assault.

The charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Judge Roger Thomas told Finnegan he would give "a lot of thought" about the sentence he would get on April 11.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
More World News
Top Stories

  • Otherworldly
    Amazon has new plans for huge biospheres on its new campus

  • One
    Microsoft calls its new Xbox 'truly intelligent TV'

  • Skillet Spreads
    Seattle's Skillet Street Food and its creator are growing way beyond the Airstream
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments