Celtic mad grandfather walks free from jail - only due to ill health

THE dad of a sex-shame priest branded “Father Flash” has walked free on child abuse charges due to ill health.

Frail 81-year-old Donald MacNeil was accused of sexually abusing 13 girls over a 40-year period.

But the case was abandoned yesterday after lawyers argued he was too ill to stand trial due to bowel cancer which has spread to his lungs.

MacNeil’s son Roddy, 54, was dubbed Father Flash after fathering a child with his married cousin and bedding another lover half his age.

The scandal-hit priest has returned to South Uist to support his ill dad.

In May, doctors told MacNeil snr he had six months to live.

And on Friday, three days into the trial, he collapsed and was rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Celtic mad Dad-of-three MacNeil, from the Western Isles, had denied sexually abusing 13 girls from 1971 to 2011.

He also denied raping a girl aged 12 or 13 in the 1970s and another girl aged 14 or 15 in the 1990s.

Judge Johanna Johnston QC agreed to desert the trial “pro loco et tempore” – which means the case
is stopped but can be brought again if the accused recovers.

Before the trial was abandoned, two women gave evidence that MacNeil had raped them when they were children. Another woman gave evidence of being sexually abused.

But yesterday, defence QC Derek Ogg told the jury that a consultant who treated MacNeil in hospital said he was unfit to attend trial.

Allowing him to walk free yesterday, the judge said: “For all we know the case may be brought back again, but that will be for others to decide.”

A Crown Office spokesman later confirmed: “After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including expert medical opinion relating to the health of the accused, the Crown made a motion to discontinue proceedings for the time being and this was granted by the court.

“It remains open to the Crown to re-raise the prosecution in the future.”

The Record told in 2005 how MacNeil’s son Roddy was suspended from the priesthood after claims of an “inappropriate relationship”.

He was ordered by his bishop to quit his Western Isles parish, Our Lady of the Sea, on Barra.

His flock were not told about the scandal.

Instead, they were told that their popular priest, renowned for his sharp dressing and suave manner, had “taken time out to reflect on the future of his priestly vocation”.

It later emerged that the woman MacNeil was involved with was his first cousin Hilda Robertson. She fell pregnant in September 2005. The baby is believed to be MacNeil’s.

He had conducted the ceremony when Hilda married James Robertson in 1984 – but the priest seduced her after she turned to him for comfort when her brother was dying. Hilda fell in love with MacNeil and eventually left her husband to live with the priest on Barra.

But MacNeil, 46, went missing when rumours of the relationship began to circulate on the island.

Hilda suspected MacNeil was cheating on her – and it later emerged that he had also been dating 22-year-old student Jennifer Gilbert.

 

You do know that all your Google searches are filtered Medro? The amount of times you've googled 'irish catholic paedophiles'

Medro ---> Jail

 

Played out a loooooooong time ago Medders

 

The amount of Times Medro has googled "IRA terrorist" and "paedophilia" it's only a matter of time before he's either arrested under Operation Yewtree or getting waterboarded by the CIA.

 

More boring ****e.

 

Typical fenian paedos.

No wonder Celtic FC are founded on them.

Disgusting club and religion.

 

Apparently the jury is to retire to consider it's verdict today in the case against Celtic mad Rolf Harris.

 

Look at the ones turning their hatred towards me rather than vile old man that abused all those kids

 

I know Medro.

These people disgust me.

 

Get a life

 

Hun arise, he bring in the morning
Fluttering his sash all around

 

^^^^

Self-loathing ****.

 

He's Scottish, Methro.

I'm hanging a big bedsheet over this thread saying "LOCAL PAEDOS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE -NAT WELCOME IN ARE WEE COUNTRY IF YOU'RE NOT LOCAL"

It was really brave of your maw to hide her face on the news.

 

^^^^^^^^^ Pretendy fenian and Smelltic fan.

 

Medro preparing his metaphorical hate bonfire, just in time for the marching and flag burning season.

 

It's all about Medro.

 

.

 

Not really...unless this thread is all about you?

 

All the comments seem to be directed towards me instead of the disgusting behaviour of this family

 

^^^^^

Loves talking about child abuse.