Mr Patrick Madden was near to tears. His son, Andrew, is to date the only one of Ivan Payne's victims to have gone public on what he suffered at the hands of the priest. Indeed, it was after he blew the whistle in 1995 that other victims came forward and Garda proceedings began.
But yesterday, just after the hearing, as other victims, gardai, lawyers, reporters and two priests from the Dublin archdiocese stood around outside the courtroom, Andrew Madden had already gone.
In a brief comment to the media about Payne's prison term he had said he had been taken aback by such a light sentence. Payne, he said, was "a very lucky man to be getting away with a `two-year sentence' ". And he left.
In a statement he handed out before the hearing he repeated his call for a public inquiry into the Catholic Church's handling of allegations of child abuse against members of the clergy.
Mr Patrick Madden was finding the sentence hard to talk about. "I feel upset," he said. "I am amazed." Emphasising he was not speaking in anger or seeking revenge, he thought 10 years would be nearer the mark.
He is concerned for his son. "Hopefully he'll be all right," he said, adding "Andrew is a very strong man."
"I support him in everything he has done and how he has handled everything," he answered when asked whether he regretted his son going public on Payne. He believed the church authorities had handled the case very badly and was "just amazed where he [Payne] got the loan from". He did not feel able to talk any more.
Another of Payne's victims is in his early 30s. He, too, was shocked at the sentence. It was "a total lack of justice". He had suffered sexual assaults by Payne for four to five years. He did not hate the man, he said. His feelings towards him were "mixed".
He was anxious to pay tribute to Andrew Madden. "I want to thank Andrew Madden. Only for him I would not have come forward. There are many out there who have not come forward," he said. Nor does he regret coming forward himself, even if there were whispers about him locally.
When Andrew Madden went public this man contacted the Rape Crisis Centre, and was referred on to a solicitor and to Det Sgt Brian Sherry, who was investigating the case.
A third victim, also in his early 30s, explained how he has been on daily medication and receiving therapy for the past four years for anxiety attacks and other nervous illnesses. He was an altar boy of 13 when he was first assaulted by Payne. "I will serve a greater sentence than him," he said.
When Andrew Madden went public he also decided to do something about it. He was put in contact with Det Sgt Sherry.
But the loneliest man in the place had to be Father John Dolan. A canon lawyer representing the Dublin archdiocese, his task was "to be there for everyone", but not everyone seemed to be interested in talking to him.
Later he was joined by Father John Dardis, spokesman for the archdiocese. "There are no winners in these situations," said Father Dolan. There are, however, many losers following the reign of Payne.
