Defrocked priest John J. Geoghan, who was convicted of assault and battery of a child under 14 on Jan. 22, was sentenced yesterday to a maximum sentence of 10 years in a state prison.
“This defendant is a serious danger to any adolescent boy,” said Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin. “Rehabilitation is not something that is in this man’s future.”
Geoghan, 66, was given the maximum sentence for the crime he was tried for, fondling a 10-year-old boy at the Waltham Boys and Girls Club in 1991. Defense attorney Geoffrey Packard argued for Geoghan to be sentenced to the minimum under the current guidelines, a sentence of maximum probation.
“Frankly, I’m concerned about his safety and his state of mind,” Packard said. “I am afraid for him.”
Hamlin said one of the three stipulations for Geoghan’s release would be never again having contact with children under the age of 16. He will also have to attend counseling. If he should fail to follow these regulations, he would be sent back to prison.
Under the terms of the sentence, Geoghan will be eligible for parole in six years. Since the crime occurred more than 10 years ago, he is eligible for parole under the guidelines of the time, which stated parole can be granted after two-thirds of the sentence is carried out.
Hamlin said the state guidelines, which Packard claimed could only send Geoghan to prison for a maximum of three years, could sometimes be ignored. The judge said she also took into account that the defendant admitted while in counseling in 1996 that he had molested other boys, dating back to the 1960s.
Prosecutor Lynn Rooney said Geoghan’s admittance of guilt in those cases and his diagnosis as a pedophile showed his inability for remorse. Geoghan had earlier said he would be “terribly offended” if he was forced to undergo treatment for being a pedophile.
“He has complete and utter denial about what he’s done in this case,” Rooney said. “There is no treatment for this man who has stated he would be terribly offended to complete treatment.”
Both Judge Hamlin and Rooney mentioned testimony given by doctors from Geoghan’s stay at Bridgewater State Hospital. Geoghan was diagnosed as a pedophile there, but he reportedly told doctors the only help he needed was finding “a way out of this joint.”
Rooney said Geoghan didn’t realize he had been defrocked and that he had “effectively been thrown out of the Catholic Church.”
Packard said Geoghan’s record as a priest should help him receive a lighter sentence.
“He performed his priestly duties well,” Packard said. “By many accounts, he was an excellent priest.”
Hamlin rejected this argument, saying Geoghan abused his position as priest to target vulnerable, young boys.
“The situation is aggravated by the fact that he is a priest and used his position of trust,” she said. “Religion should be a solace, a refuge; the Church should be a safe place.
“Being a good priest in some areas does not excuse molestation,” she said.
Following the sentencing, Patrick McSorley, who is bringing a civil suit against both Geoghan and the Archdiocese of Boston, said he didn’t believe 9-10 years was enough time for Geoghan to spend in prison.
“Nine to 10 years is just a small step helping toward all the victims’ healing process,” McSorley said. “He has totally no feeling whatsoever for the victims. He doesn’t realize he’s an evil man.”
McSorley said he believed this case was only the first of many that will be brought against members of the Boston Archdiocese.
“This is only the beginning. It’s only a little taste of what you’re going to be seeing,” he said. “We need to make it right again for the people who dedicated their lives and their souls to the Catholic Church.”
Since the verdict came back in the Geoghan case, Bernard Cardinal Law has instituted a “zero tolerance” policy for priests who have been accused of sexual abuse, and has turned over the names of more than 80 priests who have been accused of sexual assault.
Hamlin said she was punishing Geoghan simply for his crimes and not for the actions of the Church as a whole.
“This defendant is being punished for what he did, not the actions of others,” she said.
On Wednesday, a hearing was held to determine what the statute of limitations would be in a different charge brought against Geoghan. The hearing is set to continue today.
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