Father Patrick Hughes
Diocese of San Diego
Ordained: 1953
Assigned as Follows:
- St. Agnes (San Diego, CA)
- St. Kieran Church (El Cajon, CA)
- Our Lady of Grace (El Cajon, CA)
- Special Assignment (Seattle, WA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Patrick Hughes:
Father Patrick Hughes was originally ordained and served in Ireland. According to media reports, he was accused of the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy there in 1974. He settled with the boy and his family, and was then transferred to the Diocese of San Diego in 1988. He received high recommendations from the Irish Bishop, and went on to serve in San Diego for almost 4 years. He worked at three different assignments in the diocese, before he was transferred to Seattle for a year.
His whereabouts were unknown after his special assignment in Washington until 2007. It was found out that Hughes spent five years evading the authorities, living under a false name in a guest house in England. Patrick Hughes was sent back to Ireland, where he pled guilty in 2010 to abuse of one victim between 1979-1983. He was sentenced to 1 year in jail.
Although a number of victims made complaints about Hughes, the detectives never managed to interview him. He was either out of the country or missing each time his victims came forward with complaints in 1994, 1995, and again in 2002. His history matches that of “Father Ioannes” in the Murphy Report.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Diego in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of San Diego now have legal options due to a temporary change in the law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
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