Keith Townsend, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by Ronald Paquin, a defrocked Catholic priest, commented on Paquin’s death in prison at age 83 on 11 September. Townsend stated he hopes the clergyman’s passing helps abuse victims and their families move forward, acknowledging that survivors carry lasting emotional burdens.
Paquin was a key figure in the Boston Catholic archdiocese clergy sexual abuse and cover-up scandal that prompted the resignation of Archbishop Bernard Law at the end of 2002 and spurred policy reforms across the United States Catholic church. In 2002, Paquin pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an altar server between 1989 and 1992 at St John the Baptist church in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His crimes were initially exposed through a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative series by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team, which later became the subject of an Oscar-winning film.
Townsend came forward in 2016 after learning of Paquin’s release from prison in 2015. He reported being abused by Paquin during camping trips to Kennebunkport, Maine, between 1985 and 1989, when Townsend was between ages eight and thirteen. Townsend indicated that Paquin provided him with drugs and alcohol during the abuse, contributing to subsequent struggles with substance abuse and incarceration. A Maine grand jury indicted Paquin in 2017 on new charges related to Townsend and another individual. Following a jury trial in November 2018, Paquin was convicted with respect to Townsend’s allegations but acquitted regarding the other individual. Judge Wayne Douglas sentenced Paquin in May 2019 to an additional 16 years in prison.
Townsend reflected on his recovery from addiction and the family he built after overcoming the trauma of abuse. He emphasized that his motivation for pursuing Paquin’s prosecution centered on protecting children. Townsend credited Maine authorities with aggressively prosecuting the case after Massachusetts released Paquin. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represented multiple victims of Paquin and other clerics and was portrayed in the Spotlight film, noted that the movie provided validation to survivors by demonstrating they were not alone and that abuse was not their fault.
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