JOSEPH STEELE, DUBLIN PAEDOPHILE PRIEST, DIES BEFORE JUSTICE CAN BE SERVED
| Red Rose Database
Dublin Child Sexual Abuser
In a tragic turn of events, Joseph Steele, a 71-year-old priest with ties to Dublin, passed away before he could be formally sentenced for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against children. The case, which had been scheduled for a hearing at Belfast Crown Court, was abruptly halted when Judge David McFarland announced that he had been informed of Steele’s death.
Steele, who had been confined to a wheelchair and suffering from cancer, was living in Dublin at the time of his death. He had pleaded guilty to a total of ten sex offenses, which spanned several decades and involved both male and female victims. The court was set to proceed with sentencing, but the proceedings were suspended pending the presentation of a death certificate. The case is expected to be officially closed once the documentation confirms his passing.
It is understood that Steele died on the Saturday prior to the court hearing at Kimmage Manor, a residence operated by the Holy Ghost Order. His community members held a burial service for him on the following Monday at the Holy Ghost plot near Crumlin in Dublin. The circumstances surrounding his death have cast a shadow over the lengthy history of his criminal behavior.
The allegations against Steele included five counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency against a male child, with incidents dating from January 1967 to January 1971. Additionally, he faced three counts of indecent assault involving a female victim, with offenses occurring between August 1979 and July 1983. These admissions came after Steele’s guilty pleas, during which medical and psychiatric evaluations were conducted. There were concerns raised by his legal team that Steele might not have been in a proper mental state to plead guilty, prompting his solicitor, Denis Maloney, to consider seeking to have the pleas vacated.
However, Steele’s criminal history extended well before these recent charges. In February 1996, he had already confessed to and apologized for 11 counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency, which took place between 1969 and 1983. During that period, Steele served as a pastor and chaplain at a children’s home in south Belfast, as well as at Cross and Passion Girls’ Secondary School. His victims included two boys and three girls aged between nine and fifteen, whom he exploited using his positions of trust and interests in photography and gymnastics to gain access to them. Steele’s abuse was facilitated by his ability to manipulate the trust of the children’s parents.
The Catholic Church later issued an apology for Steele’s actions, describing the abuse as “profoundly distressing” and acknowledging the pain inflicted upon the victims. Despite his previous conviction, Steele’s death prevented any further legal proceedings or justice for the victims he harmed over the years.
Steele, who had been confined to a wheelchair and suffering from cancer, was living in Dublin at the time of his death. He had pleaded guilty to a total of ten sex offenses, which spanned several decades and involved both male and female victims. The court was set to proceed with sentencing, but the proceedings were suspended pending the presentation of a death certificate. The case is expected to be officially closed once the documentation confirms his passing.
It is understood that Steele died on the Saturday prior to the court hearing at Kimmage Manor, a residence operated by the Holy Ghost Order. His community members held a burial service for him on the following Monday at the Holy Ghost plot near Crumlin in Dublin. The circumstances surrounding his death have cast a shadow over the lengthy history of his criminal behavior.
The allegations against Steele included five counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency against a male child, with incidents dating from January 1967 to January 1971. Additionally, he faced three counts of indecent assault involving a female victim, with offenses occurring between August 1979 and July 1983. These admissions came after Steele’s guilty pleas, during which medical and psychiatric evaluations were conducted. There were concerns raised by his legal team that Steele might not have been in a proper mental state to plead guilty, prompting his solicitor, Denis Maloney, to consider seeking to have the pleas vacated.
However, Steele’s criminal history extended well before these recent charges. In February 1996, he had already confessed to and apologized for 11 counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency, which took place between 1969 and 1983. During that period, Steele served as a pastor and chaplain at a children’s home in south Belfast, as well as at Cross and Passion Girls’ Secondary School. His victims included two boys and three girls aged between nine and fifteen, whom he exploited using his positions of trust and interests in photography and gymnastics to gain access to them. Steele’s abuse was facilitated by his ability to manipulate the trust of the children’s parents.
The Catholic Church later issued an apology for Steele’s actions, describing the abuse as “profoundly distressing” and acknowledging the pain inflicted upon the victims. Despite his previous conviction, Steele’s death prevented any further legal proceedings or justice for the victims he harmed over the years.