Derry / Londonderry: Priest understood to have been charged with attempted sexual communication with a child
A man charged by the PSNI on Good Friday with attempted sexual communication with a child is understood to be a Catholic priest.
Police in Derry / Londonderry confirmed on Friday evening that a 58-year-old man arrested on Thursday had now been charged.
He is due to appear before a special sitting of Londonderry Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, April 19, sitting at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court.
A livestream video circulated online on Thursday showed a man in clerical clothing being challenged by self-styled paedophile hunters.
A spokesperson for the Derry Diocese said: “The Diocese of Derry is aware of an incident outside a hotel in Derry city involving a priest of this diocese.
"The diocese knows that a video of the incident has been posted online, and we understand the PSNI have been involved.
"Currently, the diocese has no further information.”
The Diocese of Derry serves the Catholic congregation of 51 parishes across almost all of Co Derry / Londonderry, parts of Co Tyrone and Co Donegal, and a very small area across the River Bann in Co Antrim.