TVNZ - One News
May 17 2004
Ex-priest pleads guilty to sex abuse
A former Catholic
priest extradited from
Alan John Woodcock, 55, faced 34 charges involving offences allegedly committed
against 10 boys in Upper Hutt,
In Upper Hutt District Court Woodcock pleaded guilty to 21 of the charges.
Police withdrew the other 13.
The former priest put up a lengthy battle against
Extradition proceedings went on for 18 months before a High Court in
Woodcock is understood to have lived in
Police know little of Woodcock's movements over the past 10 years but say he
was also believed to have been selling shoes in a central
Woodcock left the Catholic Order of the Society of Mary in 1991 and moved to
the
Woodcock's former Catholic order is promising to support everybody who lays a
complaint.
"We want to ensure that whatever we can do to help them can be done. We
know we can't undo the damage that was done but if this is some help then we
will assist the police in any way we can," Father Dennis O'Fagen said.
Pope John Paul has spoken out against the behaviour of some of his priests
after a rash of cases involving men of the cloth who, under a vow of chastity,
sexually abused children entrusted to them.
Lawyers for Woodcock appealed against his extradition order by saying their
client would not get a fair trial in
The alleged abuse took place while Woodcock was working as a teacher and priest
in Manawatu and
His lawyers say too much time has elapsed since the alleged offences.
When Woodcock arrived back in
He said he was pleased to be back "to resolve matters to everybody's
satisfaction".
Woodcock was remanded in custody for sentencing in Wellington District Court on
June 25