Pervert: Michael Quigley
Exclusive: A well-known Irish dancing teacher from Derry hasn’t paid a single cent in compensation to an abuse victim who won a €400,000 settlement in an historic legal battle, a court has heard.
Former newspaper printer Michael Quigley, who now lives in Letterkenny, had been ordered to pay the compensation to his former pupil Dana Doherty by the High Court.
But the 70 year old told Letterkenny District Court yesterday that he was only surviving on €339 a week from his pensions.
Quigley, of Barnhill Park, told Ms Doherty’s solicitor Orlagh Sharkey “I have not made any effort because I’m not in a position to pay anything.
“My only assets are my pensions.”
Quigley said he had nothing left once he had paid his bills when outlining his statement of means.
Ms Sharkey challenged him on his claim that he paid half – or almost half – of the mortgage on his home.
“This is in direct contradiction to a statement made by your wife to the High Court in which she said in evidence and in an affidavit that she paid all of the mortgage on your home,” said Ms Sharkey to the witness.
“That’s not the case,” replied Quigley.
He added that he didn’t have any bank accounts, but rather a credit union account into which his pension is paid.
Quigley told the court that he used that account to withdraw his pension and to pay bills and also revealed he had Stg£5,919 in the credit union account in Derry.
Judge Paul Kelly asked Ms Sharkey how much her client was looking for.
“We are seeking payment of €1,000 per month,” the solicitor replied.
Ms Sharkey said Quigley’s statement on his monthly expenditure was ‘entirely contradictory’ set against previous court hearings.
Quigley’s wife Alice, she said, had claimed in one court to the sole owner of property whereas in court yesterday Quigley was now claiming the ownership of the property was “a joint exercise”.
She added: “Alice Quigley is a retired national school teacher in receipt of a very healthy pension.
“Mr Quigley fails to appreciate the serious nature of the High Court judgement against him and he has made no effort whatsoever to compensate our client.”
Judge Kelly ordered that Quigley should provide details of all or any of his accounts for the whole of 2014 and also this month.
He also asked for receipts for January showing his day by day expenditure.
All this information should be given to Ms Doherty’s solicitors Callan Tansey Solicitors in Sligo and to the court by the end of February, the judge added before adjourning the case until March 4th.
Quigley lost a Supreme Court case in Dublin last June when he tried to get the compensation pay-out overturned.
And in December a judge ruled that he had deliberately transferred two properties into his wife’s name in a bid to prevent money going to his victim.
Dana Doherty was praised after juries in two trials in Letterkenny failed to reach verdicts on the child abuse charges.
So she took a civil action instead and a judge ruled that he believed she had been abused and ordered the pay-out.
Teacher Ms Doherty has always insisted that her case was always about justice and not the money.
She continues to pursue Quigley for a settlement as he has never acknowledged his crimes against her which began when she was just 12 years old and one of his Irish dance pupils.
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