JOHN MURPHY'S SHOCKING ABUSE IN WHISTON: CATHOLIC PRIEST'S DARK SECRET REVEALED

In December 2017, a disturbing case of long-standing sexual abuse involving a 93-year-old Catholic priest named John Murphy came to light, revealing a pattern of heinous crimes committed during his tenure in Whiston. The court proceedings uncovered how Murphy exploited his trusted position within the church and local community to prey on vulnerable boys over a span of more than a decade.

Father John Kevin Murphy, who resided at St George’s Court in Maghull, was employed as a priest at St Luke’s Parish in Whiston from 1962 to 1974. During this period, he managed to ingratiate himself with numerous families, gaining their confidence and trust. His method of grooming involved offering boys aged between 11 and 16 various activities such as swimming lessons, exercise sessions, and even camping trips abroad, all under the guise of innocent recreational pursuits. However, these outings served as opportunities for Murphy to carry out his sickening acts of abuse.

According to court testimony, Murphy would often take advantage of the boys during swimming lessons by placing his hands inside their swimming trunks, touching their genitals, and forcing them to shower naked. On one particularly disturbing occasion, he made a boy sit on his knee in a changing room and performed a sex act on him. These acts of abuse were not confined to the swimming pool; Murphy also took two of the boys on separate camping trips, including trips abroad, where he continued to sexually assault them. One such incident occurred in Italy, where a boy returned to his tent after a night to find Murphy had zipped their sleeping bags together and coerced him into a sexual 'game.'

Murphy’s predatory behavior extended beyond outdoor activities. He would frequently invite boys into his home under the pretense of giving them 'exercise lessons,' during which he would inappropriately touch them. Some of these incidents took place on church grounds, further highlighting the betrayal of trust involved. On several occasions between 1962 and 1974, Murphy forced boys to strip and engaged in sexual acts with them, leaving a trail of trauma and emotional scars.

It was only years later that the victims felt able to come forward. Two of them initially reported the abuse to police, but the trauma was so overwhelming that they were unable to give evidence at the time. It was not until July 2016 that a third victim, Stephen Armstrong-Smith, decided to speak out, providing the police with enough evidence to bring charges against Murphy. Armstrong-Smith, who chose to waive his right to anonymity, recounted how he was abused multiple times over two years while Murphy served as a junior priest at the church.

In his victim impact statement, Armstrong-Smith described the profound emotional damage inflicted by Murphy’s actions. He revealed that he was so terrified of the repercussions that he denied the abuse to his parents and even questioned whether he was responsible for inviting Murphy’s advances. He recounted faking illnesses to avoid Murphy and described a specific incident where Murphy visited his sickbed under the guise of checking on him and inappropriately touched him under the covers. This incident prompted him to report the abuse to the church, which advised him to either tell the police and risk exposure or keep quiet and let the church handle it. Fearing exposure, Armstrong-Smith chose silence, leading Murphy to be transferred to another parish.

The emotional toll on Armstrong-Smith was profound. He detailed in court how the years of abuse left him with confusion about his sexuality, leading to five serious suicide attempts, including drinking household cleaning products and setting a house fire. His statement was read aloud in court, with Murphy sitting silently, eyes closed, unable or unwilling to look at his victim. Armstrong-Smith expressed his pain, stating, “I was hoping Father Murphy would look me in the eyes while I read this, but he doesn’t even have the decency to look at me.”

Judge Anil Murray, presiding over the case, acknowledged that Murphy’s claim of amnesia was implausible, expressing doubt that the priest could have forgotten his crimes. Murphy pleaded guilty to 16 counts of indecent assault on a child during an earlier hearing but maintained his silence during sentencing. The court sentenced him to three years in prison, with an expectation that he would serve approximately half of that term, followed by 18 months on license. Additionally, Murphy was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, marking a significant step in addressing the long history of abuse committed in Whiston and surrounding areas.