Ireland Case No. 0200Rape, indecent assault · Co. Dublin · 1 Jan 1978
Appeal reserved in former priest's rape and indecent assault case in Dublin
Richard Brennan, a 64-year-old former priest now living in the United States, pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting his three sisters Paula Fay, Catherine Wrightstone and Yvonne Crist in the family home in Rathfarnham, Dublin, between 1978 and 1985. Catherine reported the abuse to the Garda Síochána in 2019, and Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including six counts of rape and 18 indecent assaults, days into his trial at the Central Criminal Court in March 2025. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in July 2025. The DPP appealed the sentence on grounds of undue leniency, and the Court of Appeal heard the appeal on 5 October 2026, with the three-judge panel reserving judgment.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court27 Sep
2 reports - Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced14 Jul
6 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Richard Brennan, a former priest, pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting his three sisters while he was a seminarian, in the family home in Rathfarnham, Dublin, between 1978 and 1985.
- Where
- The offences took place at an address in Anne Devlin Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.
- When
- Offences against Paula Faye occurred between January 1978 and December 1981 when she was aged 13 to 17; against Catherine Wrightstone between June 1980 and December 1984 when she was aged 9 to 14; against Yvonne Crist between June 1979 and June 1980 when she was about 20.
- Investigation
- Catherine Wrightstone reported the abuse to the Garda Síochána in 2019.
- Charges
- Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including six counts of rape and 18 counts of indecent assault, against his three sisters.
- In court
- The trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in March 2025; Brennan changed his plea to guilty after all three sisters had given evidence and two had been cross-examined.
- The DPP appealed the sentence on grounds of undue leniency; the Court of Appeal heard the appeal on 5 October 2026 before a three-judge panel presided by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, who reserved judgment.
- Sentence
- Judge David Keane imposed a global sentence of nine years in July 2025, with the final 12 months suspended on condition Brennan engage with the Probation Service, reported as eight years in custody.
- Other details
- Brennan was ordained as a priest in 1989, later moved to the US where he married and became a hospital and hospice chaplain; he is now living in Montana, US.
- Brennan had no previous convictions and was assessed as being at a low risk of future offending.
- Bernard Brennan, 68, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting to sexual abuse of Yvonne Crist and Paula Faye.
- The judge cited the fundamental betrayal of trust and the young age of the victims as aggravating factors, and Brennan's lack of previous convictions and guilty plea as mitigating factors.
98 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe brother of the three women is a former priest who raped and sexually assaulted his sisters while he was a seminarian. (rte.ie)
- whatBrennan was a former priest who raped and sexually assaulted his sisters while he was a seminarian. (rte.ie)
- whatRichard Brennan was a seminarian when he started abusing his sister Catherine when she was nine years old. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRichard Brennan was ordained as a priest in 1989 before moving to America, leaving the priesthood, marrying, and becoming a hospital and hospice chaplain in the US. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRichard told his sister Catherine that 'this is my job' and 'this is what brothers do' as he abused her. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatYvonne Crist was assaulted in or around June 1979 when her parents were in Wexford. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatPaula Fay was first assaulted when she was 14 or 15 years old, while asleep in bed. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRichard Brennan told Paula Fay he would not be able to do that eventually because he was about to become a priest. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRichard Brennan is 64 years old (dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatCatherine Wrightstone is 54 years old (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe offences took place in the Brennan family home. (rte.ie)
- whereThe offences occurred at an address in Anne Devlin Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereRichard Brennan was previously of Rathfarnham (dublinlive.ie)
- whereRichard Brennan is now living in the United States (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe abuse was committed in the family home in Rathfarnham (irishtimes.com)
- whereBrennan had previous addresses in Rathfarnham and the United States (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe first assault on Catherine Wrightstone occurred just after her 9th birthday in June 1980. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe abuse began when Catherine was 9 and Richard was 19 (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe abuse continued for many years (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe offences occurred from 1978 to 1985 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenBrennan pleaded guilty days into his trial in March. (irishtimes.com)
- whenBrennan was aged between 16 and 24 when the abuse occurred. (irishtimes.com)
- whenOffences against Paula Faye occurred between January 1978 and December 1981 when she was aged 13 to 17 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenOffences against Catherine Wrightstone occurred between June 1980 and December 1984 when she was aged 9 to 14 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenOffences against Yvonne Crist occurred between June 1979 and June 1980 when she was about 20 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationCatherine reported the abuse to Garda Siochana in 2019 (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationDetective Sergeants Neill Fogarty and Kevin Drennan and Detective Joanne Grogan worked the case (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeBrennan pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting his sister Paula Fay when she was between 15 and 17. (rte.ie)
- chargeBrennan pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting Catherine Wrightstone when she was between nine and 13. (rte.ie)
- chargeBrennan admitted indecently assaulting Yvonne Crist when she was 20 and he was 18. (rte.ie)
- chargeRichard Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 charges consisting of six charges of rape and 18 indecent assaults of his sisters. (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeRichard Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 counts against his three sisters (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeThe charges included 18 counts of indecent assault (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeThe charges included six counts of rape (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting Paula when she was between 15 and 17 (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting Catherine when she was between nine and 13 (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a third sister Yvonne Crist when she was 20 (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeBrennan admitted to 24 offences against his three sisters (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe offences included four counts of rape against Paula Fay (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe offences included two counts of rape against Catherine Wrightstone (irishtimes.com)
- chargeBrennan admitted 24 offences against his three sisters. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeRichard Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 counts against his three sisters, including 18 of indecent assault and six charges of rape (irishmirror.ie)
- courtRichard Brennan pleaded guilty during his trial to raping and indecently assaulting Paula Fay when she was between 15 and 17. (rte.ie)
- courtRichard Brennan pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting Catherine Wrightstone when she was between nine and 13. (rte.ie)
- courtRichard Brennan admitted indecently assaulting Yvonne Crist when she was 20 and he was 18. (rte.ie)
- courtBrennan changed his plea to guilty after all three sisters had given evidence and two had been cross-examined. (rte.ie)
- courtThe judge said the aggravating factors included that Fay and Wrightstone were particularly young and vulnerable when the offences took place. (rte.ie)
- courtThe case was prosecuted by Fiona Murphy SC. (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe case was heard at the Central Criminal Court (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe trial took place at the Central Criminal Court (irishmirror.ie)
- courtBrennan admitted to the offences days into his trial in March (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe Court of Appeal is due to hear the appeal on October 5th. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe sentence was imposed after a conviction in the Central Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe DPP appealed the sentence at the Court of Appeal before a three-judge panel presided by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, who reserved judgment (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe DPP argued the sentence did not reflect the seriousness of the offending (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceRichard Brennan was jailed for eight years. (rte.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- sentenceThe judge imposed a global sentence of nine years and suspended the final year. (rte.ie)
- sentenceJudge David Keane sentenced Richard Brennan to nine years in prison with one year suspended, with each individual sentence running concurrently. (dublinlive.ie)
- sentenceRichard Brennan was sentenced to eight years for six counts of rape and 18 indecent assaults (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceRichard Brennan was sentenced to eight years at the Central Criminal Court (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe DPP has appealed the eight-year sentence on grounds of undue leniency. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe global eight-year sentence was imposed for 24 offences, including rape and indecent assault. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceMr Justice David Keane imposed a global sentence of nine years in July 2025, backdated to when Brennan first went into custody (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe final 12 months of the nine-year term were suspended on condition Brennan engage with the Probation Service for a year (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe sisters were extremely disappointed with the sentence. (rte.ie)
- otherPaula Fay said eight years is not long enough to reflect the severity of the crimes. (rte.ie)
- otherCatherine Wrightstone said justice still prevailed. (rte.ie)
- otherRichard Brennan had no previous convictions. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherHe received credit in mitigation for his guilty plea, made nine days into his trial, and a letter of apology written in June expressing his sorrow and the generational harm he had caused. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherRichard Brennan was attending Clonliffe College where he was training to become a priest, and the abuse occurred when he was home in the summertime. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherRichard blamed his brother Bernard, saying Bernard also abused him and encouraged him to engage in abusing his sisters. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherThere was a family therapy session a number of years ago in which matters were swept under the carpet for many years. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherYvonne Crist gave evidence via video link from her home in the US. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine first broke her silence at age 12 (dublinlive.ie)
- otherThe legal process took six years (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine Wrightstone is a licensed psychotherapist (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine's marriage of almost 30 years was negatively impacted by flashbacks (dublinlive.ie)
- otherPaula Fay and Yvonne Crist were also abused by their brother Bernard Brennan (dublinlive.ie)
- otherRichard Brennan is a former priest aged 64 (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe former priest changed his plea deal after all three sisters had given evidence and Paula and Yvonne were cross-examined (irishmirror.ie)
- otherPaula was told by her employer she was only entitled to annual leave or unpaid leave as a witness (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe sisters called for mandatory binding sentencing guidelines treating sexual abuse and rape as serious offences regardless of time elapsed (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe sisters called for a statutory offence under sexual assault for sibling sexual abuse (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBrennan was aged between 16 and 24 at the time of the offences (irishtimes.com)
- otherBoth women were minors at the time of the offences (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe sisters called for witnesses to be given paid leave the same as jurors in trials (irishtimes.com)
- otherCatherine Wrightstone called for mandatory binding sentencing guidelines treating sexual abuse and rape as serious offences regardless of time elapsed (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe judge cited a fundamental betrayal of trust as an aggravating factor. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe judge took into account Brennan's lack of previous convictions as a mitigating factor. (irishtimes.com)
- otherAll three sisters gave victim impact statements. (irishtimes.com)
- otherBrennan was between 17 and 24 years old at the time of the offending (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBrennan had no previous convictions (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBrennan was ordained as a priest in 1989 and later moved to the US where he married and had a family (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBernard Brennan, 68, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting to sexual abuse of Yvonne Crist and Paula Faye (irishmirror.ie)
- otherDefence argued Brennan was abused by his older brother and introduced to sexual behaviour from age three (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBrennan returned voluntarily from the US for questioning and the trial (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBrennan was assessed as being at a low risk of future offending (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe victims expressed deep disappointment over the sentence handed down (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 6 Oct2026Ex-priest who raped sisters says sentence shouldn't increase over alleged abuse
DPP's appeal against the nine-year sentence (with 12 months suspended) heard at the Court of Appeal on 5 October 2026; three-judge panel presided by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy reserved judgment.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 65, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Faye, 13-17, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayevictim, Catherine Wrightstone, 9-14, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, 20, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Cristconvicted, Bernard Brennan, 68, male, named, irish (judged from name)Bernard Brennan - 27 Sep2026DPP appeals former priest’s ‘unduly lenient’ sentence for sexual abuse of his three sisters
Provides the specific Court of Appeal hearing date (5 October 2026), a detailed breakdown of all 24 offences by victim, the sisters' victim impact statements, the judge's aggravating and mitigating factors, Brennan's ordination in 1989 and departure from the priesthood in 1992, his US address in Montana, and Bernard Brennan's earlier conviction (67, jailed 4½ years for 11 counts of indecent assault, 1972–1975). Note: this article describes the sentence as eight years, while the earlier report (case 200) recorded it as nine years.
convicted, Richard Brennan, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist - 30 Jul2025Sisters of rapist Richard Brennan want witnesses in trials to get paid leave from work
The sisters' public call for paid witness leave and mandatory sentencing guidelines for historical sexual abuse cases, following Brennan's eight-year sentence.
convicted, Richard Brennan, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Cristvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstone - 30 Jul2025Sisters raped by priest brother call for witnesses to be paid for full trial
Victims call for witness pay reform, mandatory binding sentencing guidelines for sexual abuse, and a statutory offence for sibling sexual abuse; details of plea change after all three sisters gave evidence and Paula and Yvonne were cross-examined.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist - 15 Jul2025Sisters of former priest jailed for abusing them open up on lasting trauma
Publishes the full victim impact statements from the three sisters read at sentencing, detailing the long-term psychological, relational, physical and existential impact of the abuse and the six-year legal process.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, 54, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist - 14 Jul2025Monster Dublin priest jailed after sickening abuse of his 3 sisters exposed
Reports the sentencing of Richard Brennan to nine years (one year suspended) for 24 charges of rape and indecent assault of his three sisters, including details of the abuse, victim impact statements, and his background as a former priest who moved to the US.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, 54, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist - 14 Jul2025Former priest jailed for eight years for raping sisters
Reports the sentencing: a nine-year global sentence with the final year suspended, reported as eight years in custody. Confirms the guilty pleas and the sisters' disappointment with the sentence.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, femaleCatherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, femaleYvonne Crist - 14 Jul2025'We have reclaimed our voices,' say rape survivors
Reports the eight-year sentence, the specific offences Brennan admitted against each sister, and the sisters' reactions outside court.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist