An Irish priest known for high-profile stunts at international sporting events to proclaim the Second Coming of Christ yesterday called on God to strike him dead if he was guilty of charges that he indecently assaulted a seven-year-old girl.
Cornelius "Neil" Horan (57) wept in the dock of London's Old Bailey as he denied any "sinister intentions" when he chased the child around his flat in the presence of her mother sometime between 1990 and 1992.
He admitted that at the time he had worn tight, green satin underpants and had later been naked in the presence of the woman and her daughter. But there had been no sexual motivation, excitement or arousal, he said.
"Everyone here present, I call on you to witness that at this moment I call upon Almighty God in heaven to strike me dead this very moment if I did such a thing," Horan said. Covering his face with his hands, he sobbed, in such apparent distress that Judge Clifton, presiding, adjourned the trial to allow Horan to calm himself. Horan, who was born in Co Kerry, now lives in London and no longer works as a priest. He has pleaded not guilty to gross indecency with the girl, who is now 20. At the time of the alleged offence, he was curate at St Anthony's church, Penge, south London, and lived in a small flat in an adjacent building.
He appeared thin, his hair dyed black and flecked with dandruff. He wore a green patterned sweater over a white shirt, and black trousers. He addressed the judge as "My Lord" and often spoke directly to the 12 jurors.
The jury is expected to be sent for deliberations today.
Throughout proceedings, Horan vehemently proclaimed his innocence, describing the allegations as "complete, utter and abominable lies". He said he had answered the door to the woman and her child, whom he had been expecting, wearing only the "dress underpants" he wore with his Irish dancing outfit of matching green kilt.
He showed the court a pair of green satin shorts and agreed with the prosecutor, Mr Frank McGrath, that they were tight when worn. He had been wearing underwear because he had just bathed and applied "itch cream" to his legs to soothe irritation resulting from childhood burns and which took half an hour to absorb, he said. When the pair arrived, the woman said he "may as well take it all off", and so he had removed his underpants.
"It was one of the strangest requests I've ever received from a person," Horan said. "The problem is that not much went through my mind at all. I acted on impulse, as I have often done unwisely. I took them off immediately. I didn't imagine that it was sarcasm."
He said that while naked, he had played a game of hide-and-seek with the girl, describing it as "innocent fun". His nakedness had not struck him as inappropriate, he said, because he felt towards the woman, whom he believed was infatuated with him, and girl as if they were "the closest thing I had to a wife and daughter".
"It was such a natural relationship and I honestly feel that it was so natural that I could continue in that condition."
Asked if he had allowed the girl to touch his genitals as he lay down after the game, Horan said: "I did not allow [ the girl] to touch my penis. If that had happened I feel physically sick just to think of it. I feel like vomiting at the suggestion. It is lies."