A VERDICT is expected today in the Father Edward Kilpatrick sex abuse case, now in its 13th day at Armagh Crown Court.
Yesterday the jury of six men and six women was cautioned by Mr Eugene Grant QC, defending, that to make a priest a criminal they must be completely satisfied with the evidence of the two alleged victims.
The 53 year old parish priest of Lifford, Co Donegal, and a former diocesan secretary to the now retired Bishop of Derry, Dr Edward Daly, has denied 19 charges of gross indecency and indecent assault involving two altar boys.
The allegations, spanning six years from March 1975, have been made by a 30 year old civil servant and a 32 year old teacher, who is a former student priest and a homosexual.
The offences are alleged to have taken place while Father Kilpatrick was a curate in Steelstown parish in Derry city. During a three hour closing address on be-half of the priest, Mr Grant urged the jury to be courageous and committed in its decision.
"I ask you to have the courage to say boldly `enough is enough' and tell the two complainants that you are not going to be fooled by their lies," said Mr Grant, adding that it had been a defining moment when Father Kilpatrick had stood up, saying "No, it's not true".
Mr Grant said it had been traumatic for the priest to have to deal with allegations which came out of the woodwork after 20 years. He rejected the complainants' allegations as "vile and filthy" and described the older alleged victim as a "fabricator and fantasist". He alleged he was a fraud and a failure in life who had targeted the church at a vulnerable time in its history.
The case, said Mr Grant, had a crack down the middle which he termed "golddigging".
Reminding the jury that the alleged victim had admitted an infatuation with the priest, Mr Grant said: "He lusted after this man with homosexual desire. He is still infatuated and obsessed and has translated that to make it into a reality."
Earlier, in closing the prosecution case, Mr Stephen Fowler told jurors that to allow loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church to come into their considerations would be misguided and wrong.
He alleged the priest had manipulated the vulnerability of two young boys - taught to be respectful to priests - for his own sexual desires. In all walks of life there were those who, for their own sexual fulfilment, preyed on young and innocent children.