Photo ~ Former Catholic bishop Raymond Lahey leaves the court house Wednesday with lawyer Solomon Friedman. PAT McGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Courtroom Fury as Catholic Bishop Walks Free Just Hours After Child Porn Sentencing

Angry scenes erupted inside an Ottawa courthouse Wednesday after a Catholic bishop with an addiction to Internet pornography walked free despite admitting to possessing images of naked boys wearing rosary beads and crucifixes.

Ontario Court Justice Kent Kirkland sentenced Raymond Lahey(71-year-old) to 15 months in jail Wednesday, time that he will be credited with already having served, prompting an outburst from one man in the court.

“You’re not a pedophile, you’re a demon, you f–king idiot,” the man yelled at Lahey.

Lahey, who once negotiated a $13-million settlement for victims of child sex abuse by priests as the bishop of Antigonish, N.S., pleaded guilty in May to possession of child pornography for the purpose of importation.

However a leading children’s rights activist said Wednesday that the 15-month sentence did not reflect the seriousness of the crime.
Rosalind Proger of Beyond Borders said Lahey helped fuel a market for child pornography.

A psychiatrist who examined Lahey testified he was interested in gay sado-masochistic sex and wasn’t a risk to reoffend against a child. Dr. John Bradford added that he was confident Lahey is not a pedophile.

During an earlier court appearance, Lahey told Justice Kirkland he had an “indiscriminate” addiction to online pornography but didn’t seek help because of his high-ranking position in the church.

Full story is at the National Post.