#UK #England – A Catholic priest pleaded guilty on Monday, October 5th, to 109 sex offenses at Londonderry Crown Court and was remanded in custody until sentencing in December. The Bishop of Derry has requested the Holy See approve the laicization of the priest.
Edward Gallagher, 59, whose address was listed as Maghaberry Prison, admitted the offenses, which occurred between June 22, 2023, and April 18, 2025. The charges included dozens of counts of attempting to sexually communicate with male children and attempting to encourage them to distribute or show indecent images, along with possession of indecent and prohibited images of children, possession of an extreme pornographic image, and attempts to incite children to engage in sexual activity.
Gallagher, originally from Derry and formerly based in Lifford, County Donegal, had served as a parish priest in Moville and later as a curate in the Clonleigh, Camus and Leckpatrick parishes. He was arrested in April 2025 outside a hotel in the Waterside area of Derry and had remained in Maghaberry since then. Earlier hearings indicated that investigators had identified more than 60 potential victims from devices seized in the case.
When the charges were put to him, Gallagher pleaded guilty to all of them. Defense counsel Stephen Mooney told the court that a pre-sentence report was needed and that “the facts are what they are.” Judge Roseanne McCormick ordered the report by November 16, set submissions for later that month, and fixed sentencing for December 9. She placed Gallagher on the sex offenders register with immediate effect; the length of registration was to be determined at sentencing. Seven related counts were left on the books and were not to be proceeded with without leave of the court.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland welcomed the guilty pleas and said it awaited sentencing. Bishop of Derry Michael Router said Gallagher had been suspended from ministry after his arrest and that the Church’s canonical process had been paused so it would not interfere with the criminal case. With the pleas entered, Router said he was petitioning the Holy See to recommend that Gallagher be dismissed from the clerical state immediately, describing the matter as one of exceptional gravity. He said his thoughts were with those affected, particularly children who had suffered harm.
