Febuary 2000 Former monk jailed for sex abuse of boys A FORMER Franciscan Brother, who admitted sexually abusing boys in two counties, had himself been continually abused by Franciscan monks from the time he entered the order at the age of 12, a court heard yesterday. Robert Keoghan (50) of Corbally Upper, Tramore, Co. Waterford pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Court to eight charges of indecently assaulting boys in the West of Ireland between 1969 and 1972. He was jailed for two years on each charge, to run concurrently. The court was told that when the father of one of his victims complained to the Principal of the Monastery to which Keoghan was attached about what he had done to his son, the Principal consulted the Superior General of the Franciscan order. Keoghan was later told that he would not be shifted for a while, but that he would have to go on a retreat. While on retreat, he went to confession to a priest who asked him for details of the abuse and then proceeded to sexually abuse Keoghan. Judge Carroll Moran described the account as “incredible”. The judge asked investigating Detective Garda David Burke if he believed Keoghans account and Det. Garda Burke said he believed he had been abused while at confession. Keoghan told the court that he was subsequently moved to the midlands where he went on to abuse two more boys. He was sentenced for these offences at Kilbeggan District Court on January 26 and was now serving 18 months in Wheatfield Prison. In 1977 he was relieved of his vows and a job was secured for him, working and cleaning in a hotel. He worked in a number of locations before returning home to care for his ill mother who has since died. His mother and other family members tried to get him a girlfriend and he eventually became engaged, but they did not marry. He now knew that he was a homosexual. He told the court:“ My homosexuality does not rest easy with my religion. I hate things about myself. I feel very dirty and I pray all the time for the victims I abused.” Keoghan said that from the time he left the Franciscan order in 1977 he felt better about himself and the thoughts of sexually abusing anyone had never come into his head. He had not abused anyone since that time. He had received no secondary schooling and could read, but had great difficulty with writing. He had always worked as a cook in the Franciscan Monasteries and most recently he had worked at Cork Regional Technical College. His family had told him that they wished he would drop dead and told him that he was disgrace to them. He agreed he had disgraced his family and felt he was a bad person. Detective Garda Burke outlined details of the abuse to boys aged from 8 to 16 while Robert Keoghan was attached to a monastery in the West of Ireland. In several instances he met boys on the road and spoke suggestively to them before either exposing himself or the boys. He repeatedly tried to get the boys to touch him and to masturbate him. All of the victims had felt confused and afraid of the sexual advances and tried to avoid him. But he continued to try to lure them into sexual contact, despite being interrupted on several occasions by passers-by. The first complaint had been made by a man in 1998. When he was 11 or 12, Keoghan had enticed him to the monastery by the offer of lemonade and biscuits. He had placed the boys hand on his (Keoghan’s) penis but covered up immediately when somebody walked into the room. The boy went home and told his father who subsequently came to the school and reported the incident to the principal. The boy was called out of class and told to repeat what had happened to the principal. The boy’s father always felt that the Franciscans had covered up his abuse and he was transferred elsewhere a short time afterwards. A number of the victims had difficulty in later life coming to terms with what had happened and feared that Keoghan would have access to other children. A psychologist’s report described the defendant as “low risk and his counsel John O’Donnell said he had a shocking and disturbing history, but was not a bad person per se.