EUGENE LEWIS SEXUAL ABUSE CASE IN FERMAANAGH AND DUBLIN: PRIEST'S CONVICTIONS PARTIALLY OVERTURNED

In a significant development concerning the criminal case of Father Eugene Lewis, a priest associated with the White Fathers Order, new legal proceedings have resulted in the partial overturning of his convictions related to allegations of sexual abuse involving three young sisters from County Fermanagh. The case, which garnered considerable media attention, was heard over an extensive four-week period in 2011 at the Belfast Appeals Court, where fresh evidence and legal arguments led to a reassessment of the original verdicts.

Father Eugene Lewis, who was 76 years old at the time of his trial in May 2011, faced a series of serious charges stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred between August 1963 and September 1973. The accusations involved sexual misconduct against three sisters, with the youngest being only seven years old at the time of the alleged abuse. The court heard that the abuse took place within the family home, a setting that was made possible by the priest’s close relationship with the girls’ parents. During the trial, the prosecution, led by QC Ken McMahon, described how Father Lewis had seemingly ingratiated himself into the family, often visiting at times when the children were most vulnerable, such as bedtime or during Saturday bath nights.

One of the sisters, a fourth sibling, also provided testimony during the proceedings, claiming that she had been sexually assaulted by Father Lewis at St Augustine’s College in Blacklion. However, this particular allegation did not lead to any formal charges. The court ultimately upheld eight of the eleven charges of indecent assault, involving two of the sisters, but found that three charges related to the third sister were unsafe and therefore could not stand. These three charges, which involved incidents between August 1963 and August 1967 when the girl was aged between seven and eight, were dismissed after the court considered new medical evidence that had not been available during the original trial.

The new evidence pertained to confidential medical records from the sister’s general practitioner. During the initial trial, only some of her medical history was disclosed, but later access revealed that she had undergone treatment for various issues, during which she explicitly stated she had never been sexually abused and did not mention any allegations against Father Lewis. The court noted that this contradiction was significant and argued that if this information had been available to the defense earlier, it might have influenced the jury’s perception and the cross-examination process. Consequently, the three charges involving the third sister were deemed unsafe and were overturned.

Despite the overturning of these three charges, the Court of Appeal upheld the remaining eight charges, which involved the other two sisters. One of these sisters testified that she was sexually assaulted between May 23, 1965, and May 22, 1969, when she was approximately seven or eight years old. The court also addressed the argument that the lengthy time elapsed since the alleged offenses should have rendered the trial unfair; however, this was rejected. Additionally, the defense challenged the admissibility of a comment made by Father Lewis during the trial, in which he referred to St Louise’s School, where he had worked, as a “girls’ factory.” The court dismissed this challenge, affirming the original decision.

In a related development in January 2012, the same priest, then aged 77, had his sentence reduced after an appeal. Originally sentenced to four years in prison in September 2010, Father Eugene Lewis was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault. The Court of Appeal in Belfast overturned three of these counts, leading to a reduction of his prison term to two years and nine months. The reasons for this decision were to be detailed later, but the court’s ruling was seen as a partial victory for the defense.

The abuse incidents were said to have taken place at the sisters’ family home in County Fermanagh, with the victims claiming the abuse began when they were as young as seven. Lewis, who resided in Dublin at the time of the trial, had previously denied all charges. During the trial, the prosecution highlighted how Lewis had ingratiated himself into the family, often visiting at times when the children were most vulnerable. The defense, represented by solicitor Joe McVeigh, expressed the intention to continue fighting the convictions, asserting that the legal process had not yet fully established his innocence.

Medical records later revealed that one of the complainants had been treated for psychiatric issues, during which she stated she had not been abused. This new evidence played a crucial role in the court’s decision to overturn the three charges involving her. The judges confirmed that the appeal was allowed on the first three counts, while the remaining charges stood. The legal team indicated that they would pursue further arguments, asserting that the convictions related to the other two sisters might also be unsafe, given the circumstances surrounding the evidence and the passage of time.