A Roman Catholic priest on Friday became the first person sentenced to prison as a result of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation that found hundreds of clergy had abused children over seven decades.
The
Rev. John Thomas Sweeney, 76, received 11½ months to five years in
state prison and will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
He pleaded guilty in July to misdemeanor indecent assault on a minor after being accused of forcing a 10-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him while counseling the fourth-grader about misbehaving on a school bus.
"I
want the public to know that he's profoundly remorseful for any pain,
anguish and discomfort that the victim has suffered as a result of his
actions," said Sweeney's lawyer, Fran Murrman, after the sentencing in
Westmoreland County.
Pennsylvania Predator Priest Named in Report Jailed for Assault on 10-Year-Old Boy - NBC 10 Philadelphia
