Thomas Naughton

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Fr Thomas Naughton is a priest of St Patrick's Missionary Order, Kiltegan, County Wicklow who served in Nigeria and Grenada before returning to Ireland in 1976.

He served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of Dublin, including Valleymount, County Wicklow until, in 1984, an ex-garda complained to the then Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Donal Murray about Naughton.

He was then assigned to Donnycarney, where he was in charge of altar boys, some of whom he abused.

Then, after attending a treatment centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire and despite the fact that his counsellors believed that Naughton had limited insight into his offences, he was assigned to Ringsend, Dublin before being removed from there following further episodes of abuse.

He was convicted of abusing an altar boy in Donnycarney and jailed for 3 years, reduced on appeal to 6 months. He had attended a treatment centre at Our Lady of Victory, Stroud, Gloucestershire which offers 'therapy in a spiritual context' before his conviction ^[1]

1 18-year battle for justice
2 Archdiocese response
3 References
4 External links

[edit] 18-year battle for justice

In November 1985, Mervyn Rundle, then a 10-year-old altar boy in Donnycarney, Dublin, came Naughton's house and told his mother that the priest was "a queer". Rose Rundle asked him how he knew that and Mervyn said "look at me". His clothes were "all messed up", she said. Mrs Rundle telephoned her husband and told him to come home from work immediately. Later, Mr Rundle, then an active parishioner, took his young son by the hand and went to the Archbishop's House to report the abuse to Monsignor Alex Stenson^[2]. Fr Naughton was charged with indecently assaulting four altar boys between 1984 to 1988. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years but this was later reduced by six months.

[edit] Archdiocese response

Mervyn recalled the details of that Wednesday afternoon when Monsignor Stenson asked his father to step outside while he was left alone with a senior cleric. Monsignor Stenson "came up close to me", pointed his finger and told me I was lying, he said. But the child insisted he was not. Afterwards, Mr Rundle Snr received a letter from the Church explaining that Fr Naughton's behaviour was caused by malaria and a row he had with his mother. Naughton, when challenged by the Archdiocese about the abuse admitted fault.

When further offences came to light in 1988, the priest was returned to the clinic. From 1988 until his conviction a decade later, he lived in the headquarters of the St Patrick's order, caring for elderly members of the order.

But in 1995, Mervyn Rundle found out "accidentally" that the priest had abused at least two other boys in Ringsend and was still saying Mass. He said he felt "sick" and "gutted" and that he had to do something to put a stop to Naughton for good and phoned the Archbishop's House.

At first he was told that the Archbishop was abroad but half an hour later, he was told he could see him the following day. Archbishop Connell was "apologetic" when Mervyn and his father found themselves back in his house for a second time. Mervyn was told that Fr Naughton was in an enclosed order and that the Archbishop would put a stop to his saying Mass.

The same day, he and his father went to Clontarf Garda Station to file an official complaint. Mr Rundle Snr said that was the first time he heard the full truth of the abuse his son had suffered. The Rundles also initiated a civil action against the Archdiocese from which he recevied a settlement of approximately €400,000 in January 2003, 18 years after the offences were committed ^[3].