THOMAS MACCARTE ABUSED CHILDREN AT BISHOP ETON MONASTERY IN LIVERPOOL
A Catholic priest, Thomas MacCarte, allowed altar boys to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol in his residence so he could sexually abuse them.One victim thought MacCarte was "cool" for letting them hang out in his room, but there was "another side" to him.
The court heard that at Bishop Eton Monastery in Woolton Road, Childwall, Liverpool, MacCarte, now 70 and residing at St Mary's Monastery in Perth, engaged in sexual misconduct with minors.
The Liverpool Crown Court was told he made one teenage boy watch gay porn and performed a sex act on him twice.
When one victim's father complained, the church simply transferred MacCarte to Scotland.
MacCarte, who was born in Glasgow and worked at Bishop Eton in the 1980s and early 1990s, denied five counts of indecent assault.
During a six-day trial, prosecutor Robert Wyn Jones described how MacCarte was known to drink excessively and sometimes walked home intoxicated.
The court revealed that Boy A believed MacCarte was "cool" and that the priest did not lecture boys about sex or lust.
Mr.
Wyn Jones explained that MacCarte allowed Boy A and some friends to visit his room to smoke cannabis and drink.
However, he described MacCarte’s "other side," noting he was "very tactile," stroking his own hair excessively, and discussing sex and mutual masturbation.
The court recounted that once, while helping MacCarte home after drinking, he forced Boy A’s head under his cassock toward his genitals, where Boy A could smell urine and pulled away.
When Boy A visited MacCarte’s room, the priest questioned him about masturbation, saying "I bet you do it." He also urinated in his sink and waved his penis after, and he would give Boy A money.
Boy B turned to MacCarte for support during psychological struggles and heavy drinking.
Mr.
Wyn Jones said MacCarte was kind and provided alcohol, then showed him gay pornography while intoxicated.
MacCarte performed oral sex on Boy B twice and wanted him to reciprocate, which did not happen.
MacCarte’s abuse occurred when Boy B was vulnerable, and it only stopped after the church moved MacCarte to Scotland following Boy B’s complaints to his father.
The boy’s father initially raised concerns with Bishop Eton, and the church agreed to handle it internally, with MacCarte being sent away with a promise of a course.
Both victims later reported to police in 2019, leading to MacCarte’s arrest.
MacCarte admitted working at the church and remembered the boys but denied abuse, claiming he could not recall the reason for his transfer.
He denied the allegations, asserting his victims were not truthful.
Testimonies from Boy B’s mother and father, as well as friends of both boys, supported the victims' accounts, with some friends recalling Boy A confided in them about abuse and others describing uncomfortable encounters with MacCarte.
MacCarte was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault by a majority verdict of 11-1 and acquitted of two additional counts.
Judge Gary Woodhall remanded him on bail until sentencing next month.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the circumstances of the complaint made to the parish priest.
