In March 1996, the diocese received an anonymous letter accusing a priest in a named parish of committing sexual offences against schoolboys in the local primary school in the late 1980s.
The letter did not identify the priest, other than to say that he was still in the named parish.
Fr William Cosgrave, the diocesan delegate, subsequently said he believed the letter referred to a priest in the parish who had been chaplain and confessor to the pupils of the local primary school for many years.
Fr Zeta was still alive at the time of this complaint. He has since died. No investigation was carried out by the diocese as a result of this anonymous complaint.
The inquiry also spoke with a former school teacher at a primary school in the diocese who taught there when Fr Zeta was chaplain and confessor. He said that Fr Zeta had a practice of hearing the confession of young boys in the staff room.
When he reported the matter at a staff meeting, it was dismissed by a senior member of the religious order. The teacher was also told by one young boy that Fr Zeta had asked him how often he masturbated. However, the teacher's complaint was not communicated to the diocese.