A retired Catholic priest yesterday denied defrauding his former Co Down parish of nearly £150,000 over a 19-month period up to October 2009.
Fr Conleth Byrne (78) allegedly paid monies to a woman from the funds of his former parish of Loughinisland in the Diocese of Down and Connor. No details surrounding the fraud were given to Downpatrick Crown Court, as his trial, expected to last three to four days, was fixed for the end of January next.
Initially Fr Byrne appeared apprehensive when asked to confirm his date of birth before being asked for his address, which he gave as “the guest house” in Portglenone Monastery.
Judge David Smyth explained these were just “formal questions, introduced for the purpose of the court record”.
However, when the single charge that he defrauded his former parish between January 1st, 2008, and October the following year, Fr Byrne replied “not guilty”.
He is accused that “whilst occupying a position in which he was expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of the parish of Loughinisland, dishonestly abused that position in that he made a number of payments from parish funds to Marie Hanna totalling £145,617 or thereabouts, with the intention, by means of the abuse of that position to make a gain for himself or another or to cause loss to another”.