Oliver O'Grady

Oliver O'Grady (born 1946) is a former Irish Roman Catholic priest who raped, molested and abused many children in California from 1973 onwards. He wrote a letter of confession to parents in 1976 and a copy was given to the Bishop of Stockton at that time.

Early life

Born in Limerick, Ireland, O'Grady was ordained into the priesthood at a seminary in Thurles during the late 1960s. He emigrated to the United States in 1971. He served as a priest at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Lodi, California from 1971 to 1978. He later served at Church of the Presentation in Stockton, California, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Turlock, California, St. Andrew's Parish in San Andreas, California, and St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Hughson, California. He claimed to have been himself molested by a priest at the age of 10, and that he was involved in sexual abuse in his own family, both as perpetrator and victim.

Crimes

In 1993 he was convicted on four counts of "lewd and lascivious acts" on two minors, the brothers John and James Howard, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Attorney Jeff Anderson said O'Grady repeatedly molested the Howards between 1978 and 1991, from age three to 13. Anderson claimed church officials knew that O'Grady had abused children as early as 1976 and 1984 but had done nothing. Police had been informed of earlier charges and had declined to prosecute. In 1998 a civil jury ordered the Catholic Diocese of Stockton to pay US$30 million in damages to the brothers. A judge later reduced the amount to $7 million. O'Grady was paroled from prison in 2000 after serving only seven years, and went to Ireland after being deported from the United States.

In a 2005 videotaped deposition, O'Grady claimed he abused at least as many as 25 children in and around Northern California. There have been lawsuits filed accusing O'Grady of abusing children even while in the seminary in Ireland.

Deliver Us From Evil

O'Grady is the subject of the 2006 Academy Award-nominated documentary Deliver Us From Evil. O'Grady said he wanted the film to serve as the "most honest confession of [his] life." He details how he preyed on children, and claims Church officials knew about his abuses but protected him by moving him from parish to parish. O'Grady confirmed that his bishop knew that there were claims that he had abused children in 1976 and before, and that the diocese responded by transferring him to another parish. The film ends by saying that O'Grady is free in Ireland, but that an American priest is making efforts to see that he and other abusers are monitored.

Present day

Since his deportation to Ireland in 2001, he has been reported as living in Thurles and the Dublin suburb of Phibsboro. In October, 2006, it was reported that he had left Ireland possibly for France and "may be en route to Canada." In 2007 the Irish Examiner reports that O'Grady's solicitor claims O'Grady registered voluntarily with the local Gardaí. In October, 2007, the rented house where he was living in Dundalk was burgled and damaged. In October 2008 it was reported that California-based lawyers were considering offering a reward for information about his whereabouts in Ireland so further civil actions could be pursued against him. In March 2010 he was reported living in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but has since been arrested in Dublin for possession of child pornography. The victims were as young as two years old. Authorities discovered child pornography photos and videos on O'Grady's laptop, on an external hard drive, and on a USB key.

See also

• Catholic sex abuse cases
• Roger Mahony Sexual Abuse Cases