Irish paedophile ex-priest who admitted to abusing 25 children arrested in the Algarve

The local Policia Judiciaria authorities have confirmed that they have arrested an Irish national wanted on suspicion of the crime of child pornography. He is understood to have been arrested on a European Arrest Warrant by Portuguese police.

The man is an infamous paedophile Irish ex-priest, who admitted to abusing at least 25 children in California. The man, known as Oliver O’Grady, was also the subject of a 2006 documentary film called Deliver Us from Evil.

In January of 2012 O’Grady was jailed for three years for possession of large amounts of child abuse images.

The images were discovered after the defrocked priest left his laptop on an Aer Lingus flight. A staff member examined the computer and alerted police after coming across the files. O’Grady pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of possessing child pornography.

A court prosecutor claimed that forensic investigators had found nearly 280,000 images on O’Grady’s laptops and hard drives, the majority showing children in sexual poses, as well as more than 1,000 child pornography video files.

His most recent arrest, carried out by Algarve authorities, is believed to be related to a different alleged offence.

It is thought it may relate to a complaint made against O’Grady by an organisation dealing with child abuse, which also subsequently discovered he was in hiding in the Algarve after a European Arrest Warrant was issued, and tipped off the authorities.

A statement released by authorities revealed: “The Policia Judiciaria, through its Criminal Investigation Information Unit, carried out an operation on October 21st in the Algarve, to execute European Arrest Warrants against two people, an Irish national and a French-Portuguese national, aged between 46 and 74.

“The Irish national was wanted by the Irish authorities on suspicion of a crime of child abuse images. This individual, who has already done prison time for similar crimes in the United States, returned to his homeland where he allegedly committed a new crime.”

“He moved afterwards to Portugal and the Algarve area where he has now been located and arrested. He has been remanded in prison after a court appearance pending his hand-over to the Irish authorities.”

Limerick-born O’Grady emigrated to the States in 1971 after being ordained into the priesthood, serving as a priest in several places in California. He was exposed for his crimes in the early 1990s when he was jailed for 14 years after admitting to abusing two young brothers while living in the US.

He was paroled after seven years before being deported back to Ireland in 2000. The pervert, described as one of Ireland’s most depraved priests, admitted in a 2005 videotaped confession he had abused at least as many as 25 children in and around Northern California.