US ex-priest Richard Daschbach jailed for sexual abuse of young girls in East Timor
- Daschbach was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually abusing orphaned and disadvantaged children at a shelter in Oecusse
- The 84-year-old, who also faced child pornography and domestic violence charges, planned to appeal the decision
A defrocked American priest accused of sexually abusing orphaned and disadvantaged young girls under his care in East Timor was found guilty on Tuesday and sentenced to 12 years in prison, in the first case of its kind in the staunchly Catholic nation.
Richard Daschbach, 84, who spent decades as a missionary in the country’s remote enclave of Oecusse, faced charges of child sexual abuse as well as child pornography and domestic violence.
The trial began in February but was postponed several times before concluding last month. During the proceedings, victims complained about threats and online attacks.
Daschbach maintains strong backing from some, including former president Xanana Gusmao, who went to the court on Tuesday.
East Timor is the most Catholic place outside the Vatican, and Dashbach is revered for his role during the tiny Southeast Asian nation’s fight for independence.
The church and foreign donors who once supported the shelter said Daschbach confessed to the abuse, but the former priest and his lawyers have at various times refused to comment. They did not make their legal strategy public and court proceedings were closed.
Daschbach, the son of a Pittsburgh steelworker, was ordained in 1964 by the Society of the Divine Word at its headquarters outside Chicago. He arrived in the country now known as East Timor several years later, setting up a shelter in the 1990s named Topu Honis, which means “Guide to Life.”
