BOSTON (WHDH/AP) — Two psychologists who evaluated defrocked pedophile priest Paul Shanley concluded that he is unlikely to sexually abuse more children because he is now 86 and has health issues, but neither doctor actually met the convicted child abuser, according to reports obtained by 7News.
RELATED: Ex-priest, convicted child abuser Paul Shanley arrives home after being set free
Both psychologists found that Paul Shanley meets the psychiatric criteria for pedophilic disorder, but they said in written reports that research suggests that recidivism rates for people of his age are extremely low. They also cited the fact that his last reported offense was in 1990.
The decision to deem Shanley not sexually dangerous was not based on an in-person examination, but instead on a slew of documents.
One psychologist noted that Shanley has a “persistent or chronic deviant sexual interest in prepubescent and under aged male children.” Despite that, both doctors used a scoring system to determine that he was a “below average risk” to reoffend.
Shanley was one of the most notorious figures in the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal. Dozens of men came forward and reported that Shanley had molested or raped them when they were children.
He was released from prison Friday after completing a 12-year sentence for raping a young boy at a Newton parish in the 1980s.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)