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DALLAS (CWN) - A Dallas jury convicted a former priest of
sexually abusing three boys on Saturday, just days after
the accused pleaded guilty on three related charges.
Rudolph Kos, 52, was found guilty of three counts of
aggravated sexual assault and one of indecency with a
child. He was acquitted of one indecency count and had
pleaded guilty at the beginning of the trial to one count
of sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency
with a child. Kos was accused of sexually abusing the boys
from 1981 to 1992 at churches in the Diocese of Dallas,
after which he left his vocation and moved to San Diego.
In a civil trial last year, a jury found the diocese guilty
of negligence for failing to take steps to stop Kos and
awarded the victims $119 million in damages. The figure was
subsequently reduced during negotiations between the
diocese, the courts, and the victims.
On the same subject of child abuse, Ireland's leading child protection agency
has welcomed an unprecedented apology from the Christian
Brothers religious order for years of sexual and other
abuse of children at their schools.
The Christian Brothers issued the apology in half-page
advertisements in Sunday's Irish newspapers. The apology
followed a number of sex-charge prosecutions of members of
the order, which has been deeply involved with the Irish
educational system for more than a century.
The order said in the statement, "We, the Christian
Brothers in Ireland, wish to express our deep regret to
anyone who suffered ill-treatment while in our care. And we
say to you ... who complained of abuse and were not listened
to, we are deeply sorry." A spokesman for the order added,
"We are putting our hands up and saying this happened. It
is painful for all of us." He said the advertisements
marked "an acknowledgement of the pain and hurt inflicted
on victims."
The development was described as "a timely watershed" by
the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children. The newspaper advertisements also listed
telephone numbers in both the Irish Republic and Northern
Ireland for abuse victims to obtain help and counseling. A
number of members of the order - founded by Blessed Edmund
Rice - are currently awaiting trial on charges of child
abuse, some of which date back more than 20 years.
Acknowledgment: to the right.
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