Mass. Priest sentenced to eight months in jail on child porn conviction

Priest sentenced to eight months in jail on child porn conviction

BARNSTABLE, Mass. --A Roman Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to storing hundreds of images of child pornography on his computer and coercing a 16-year-old boy into filming himself performing a sex act was sentenced Monday to eight months in jail.

Prosecutors had recommended a three-year prison sentence for the Rev. Stephen A. Fernandes, 55, who was suspended as pastor of Our Lady Fatima Church in New Bedford.

Bristol District Attorney Paul Walsh criticized Superior Court Judge Robert Kane for handing Fernandes a lighter sentence. He will serve the eight-month sentence at a jail on Martha's Vineyard and is eligible for parole in three months.

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Fernandes also allegedly used an instant messaging service to pretend he was a 19-year-old woman and trick a 16-year-old boy into filming himself performing a sex act.

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