BRADFORD CHURCH WORKER DAVID HENNESSEY ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE SEXUAL ABUSE OF BOYS
In a case that has shocked the community of Bradford, a former church worker named David Hennessey has been spared from imprisonment after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences committed against young boys decades ago.The incident, which dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, involved Hennessey abusing boys aged between eight and 16, with the abuse occurring in various locations including his home, the Bradford Diocesan Office on North Parade, at a cinema, and during church camping trips.
Hennessey, aged 74 and previously residing on Marlborough Street in Shipley, Bradford, was not physically present in Bradford Crown Court during the proceedings.
This absence was due to medical assessments that determined he was suffering from dementia and was therefore unfit to stand trial.
The court was informed that Hennessey was currently living on Belle Green Close in Cudworth, Barnsley.
The jury was tasked with determining whether Hennessey was responsible for the acts alleged by his victims, who are now men in their sixties.
The charges against him included ten counts of indecent assault on a male and three counts of indecency with a child.
These allegations spanned several years and involved multiple instances of abuse.
During the trial, the jury found that Hennessey had committed the acts as charged, with the exception of one particular count, on which they could not reach a verdict.
Judge David Hatton QC discharged the jury from delivering a verdict on that specific charge.
The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits Hennessey from having unsupervised contact with boys, as a measure to protect potential future victims.
Given Hennessey's medical condition and the fact that he was deemed unfit to stand trial, the only sentencing options available were an absolute discharge or a hospital order.
Since the case did not involve a treatable mental illness, and other options such as probation were not applicable, the court chose to grant an absolute discharge.
Prosecutor David McGonigal highlighted that Hennessey was nearly caught in the act by an archdeacon while he was sexually assaulting a boy inside the Bradford Diocesan Office on North Parade.
The abuse was linked to Hennessey's involvement with the church's Sunday School and choir, where he exploited his trusted position to prey on vulnerable boys.
One of the victims, now a man in his sixties, recounted to the court that he was around 11 or 12 years old when Hennessey molested him on multiple occasions.
The man described how Hennessey would close the curtains at his home, undo his trousers, and touch him indecently.
He expressed feelings of awkwardness, discomfort, and embarrassment about the incidents, and revealed that he felt unable to tell anyone at the time.
The victim also recounted an incident during a camping trip, where he woke to find Hennessey’s hand on his private parts.
He managed to quickly remove it upon realizing that he was awake.
The court heard that Hennessey’s actions caused lasting trauma to his victims, who had trusted him as a figure of authority within the church community.
