News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A paedophile Irish ex-priest who admitted abusing at least 25 children in California, has reportedly been arrested on the Algarve.

Sick Oliver O’Grady, the subject of a 2006 documentary film called Deliver Us from Evil, is understood to have been held on a European Arrest Warrant by Portuguese police.

In January 2012 O’Grady was jailed for three years for possession of large amounts of child abuse images.

The images were discovered after the defrocked priest left his laptop on an Aer Lingus flight.

A staff member examined the computer and alerted police after coming across the files.

O’Grady pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of possessing child pornography.

Police said a court prosecutor said they had found nearly 280,000 images on O’Grady’s laptops and hard drives, the majority showing children in sexual poses, as well as more than 1,000 child pornography video files.

A Garda spokesman said: “An Garda Síochána does not comment on named individuals.”

(Image: Pic Collins Courts)

The current arrest is believed to relate to a different alleged offence.

It is thought it may relate to a complaint made against O’Grady by an organisation dealing with child abuse which also subsequently discovered he was in hiding on the Algarve after a European Arrest Warrant was issued, and tipped off the authorities.

Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria force confirmed they had arrested an Irish national wanted on suspicion of a crime of child abuse images, although as part of normal procedure they did not name him.

Leading Correio da Manha, claiming the detainee was a former Irish priest, printed an Irish newspaper front page about O’Grady with his photo in an article today, although it did not print his name in its write-up.

The statement released by the PJ, which went public with two detentions including the Irish national’s arrest on Monday at an unspecified location on the Algarve, said: “The Policia Judiciaria, through its Criminal Investigation Information Unit, carried out an operation on October 21 in the Algarve area, to execute European Arrest Warrants against two people, an Irish national and a French-Portuguese national, aged between 46 and 74.

“The Irish national was wanted by the Irish authorities on suspicion of a crime of child abuse images.

“This individual, who has already done prison time for similar crimes in the United States, returned to his homeland where he alleged committed a new crime.

“He moved afterwards to Portugal and the Algarve area where he has now been located and arrested.

“He has been remanded in prison after a court appearance pending his hand-over to the Irish authorities."

(Image: Google Maps)

Limerick-born O’Grady emigrated to the States in 1971 after being ordained into the priesthood, serving as a priest in several places in California.

He was exposed for his crimes in the early 1990s when he was jailed for 14 years after admitting abusing two young brothers while living in the US.

He was paroled after seven years before being deported back to Ireland in 2000.

The pervert, described as one of Ireland’s most depraved priests, admitted in a 2005 videotaped confession he had abused at least as many as 25 children in and around Northern California.

In 2016, when he was living in Waterford in south east Ireland, it was reported local Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan had sent a warning letter to priests and schools.

The Bishop said in the letter: “I have today been updated about the activities of an extremely dangerous paedophile who lives in Waterford City but is not from here. Attached you will see his photo.

“Oliver O’Grady, ex-priest, is a convicted paedophile. He is actively seeking victims in our midst.”

(Image: Getty)

O’Grady admitted at the time he was trying to get his history removed from the internet so people would not find out about his crimes.

Pornografia de menores, the crime Portuguese police say motivated the arrest warrant, covers a wide range of wrongdoing under Portuguese law.

It includes using a minor in a pornographic show as well as distributing pornographic material.

Portuguese police were not immediately available for comment this afternoon/yesterday afternoon (THURS) on what the exact equivalent under Irish law would be, or confirmation Oliver O’Grady was the man who had been arrested.

O’Grady’s abuse and Cardinal Roger Mahony’s attempts to hide the crimes are the subject of Amy J Berg’s documentary film Deliver Us From Evil.

It won the Best Documentary Award at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.