Lawyer: Release has ‘re-victimized’ those Shanley hurt

Those abused by defrocked pedophile priest Paul Shanley were “re-victimized” yesterday when they learned he is soon to be released from prison, according to a lawyer for the victims.

“They’re re-victimized,” said Mitchell Garabedian, who represented several of Shanley’s victims in their suit against the Archdiocese of Boston. “They feel like he should spend the rest of his life in jail. He’s a threat to innocent children.”

Shanley was convicted of two counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child in February 2005. He is expected to be released from Old Colony Correctional Center later this week.

“At sentencing our office requested that he be imprisoned for life,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan in a statement. “Shanley was sentenced to a 12- to 15-year prison sentence. He is now scheduled to be released from that sentence and begin 10 years of supervised probation.”

Ryan said Shanley will be on probation for 10 years once he’s released. She said her office hired experts to examine Shanley, in an attempt to have him civilly committed after his release as a sexually dangerous person.

“We are awaiting their final reports; however both doctors have informed us that they have concluded that Shanley does not satisfy the legal criteria for a petition to be filed,” she said.

Garabedian said Shanley’s advanced age — 86 — will not stop him from re-offending if given an opportunity.

“Parents better watch their children, and protect their children when Shanley is in the area. Given his history, there’s no reason to believe he won’t sexually offend again,” he said.