An elderly Brother of Charity who sexually abused children in Cork and Galway in the 1950s and 1960s is to spend the rest of his life in Belgium, if the authorities there agree.
Cork Circuit Court was told yesterday that James Kelly (75), known as Brother Ambrose, will be sent to a nursing home in Belgium on his release from prison next week.
Kelly has been serving a sentence at the Curragh Camp prison for sexually assaulting three boys in the 1950s and 1960s at the Lota Children's home in Cork. He was also convicted of sexually abusing 10 children, aged from nine to 14, over a three-year period in the 1960s at the Holy Family School in Renmore, Galway.
Kelly was sentenced to 18 consecutive two-year sentences in November 1999 at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
His case was reviewed last year and his sentence was reduced to 18 months by Judge A.G. Murphy on condition that he move to England when he was released on February 26th, 2002.
Kelly's counsel, Mr Pierce Sreenan, told the court yesterday the Brothers of Charity were unable to find a suitable nursing home in Britain for him. they had located nursing accommodation for him in Belgium. His move to Belgium will go ahead if the authorities there do not object.
Speaking outside the State, one of Kelly's victims, Cork man Mr John Barrett, said he was incensed at the decision to release Kelly to live his life in Belgium.
"I tried to commit suicide three times because of that man. I want to see him do the time he was given. At 70 years of age this man was abusing people."
Mr Barrett said Kelly's release was sending the wrong message to people who had suffered abuse at the hands of paedophiles. "I was abused for eight years by this man. I went in to Lota at the age of seven and he made my life hell. Lots of people are being sexually abused, and is this how it is going to end up for them?"
A helpline was set up in 1999 following an admission by Kelly that he could not remember the names of all the boys he abused. The line received 96 calls, and four further complaints were made against him.
Kelly will remain in custody until his next court appearance on February 26th, the date of his release.