Rodger Moloney, a 73-year-old Catholic clergyman, was sentenced Friday to two years, nine months in prison on seven counts of sexually abusing mentally handicapped boys at a residential school 30 years ago in Christchurch, news reports said. ( dpa )
Moloney, who was prior of the St John of God order, which ran the school, was found guilty last month on the charges after a three-week trial, in which he was acquitted on 16 other counts.
His sentence concludes a long investigation into more than 125 complaints against five Catholic brothers who taught at the school, which closed in 1985.
Moloney is the fourth of the brothers to be be sentenced, and the fifth, who was extradited with Moloney from Australia, was ruled too ill to stand trial, escaping prosecution.
The Catholic Church has reportedly paid more than 5 million New Zealand dollars (about 3.65 million US dollars) in compensation to boys who were abused at the school from 1974-77.