Courts

Former Christian Brother sentenced to five years in prison over abuse of boys

Court hears man, not named to protect identity of victims, described as the ‘epitome of evil’

One victim said the abuse had left him with “trust issues, especially with people in a position of power"

Claire Henry
Mon Dec 19 2022 - 14:14

A former Christian brother who was convicted in October on 38 counts of indecently assaulting young boys has been sentenced to five years in prison.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, was found unanimously guilty after a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court deliberated for four hours and twenty-six minutes.

He was described by one of the victims in his victim impact statement as “the epitome of evil”.

The man was convicted of indecently assaulting five boys in the late 1970s, when they were aged nine and 10. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges and had seven previous convictions, all for indecent assault.

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Garda Sgt James Neary told Patrick McGrath SC, prosecuting, that the accused was a Christian Brother who was teaching all five boys at the time of the assaults.

Sgt Neary said the accused summoned the first victim to his desk, which was located on a podium at the top of the classroom, under the guise of reading practice. He would be instructed to sit on his teacher’s lap or stand beside him and the accused would then touch the boy’s genital area and bottom.

The court heard that on three occasions the accused penetrated the boy with his finger. This victim was also forced to touch the accused’s penis and masturbate him. This occurred on an occasion when they were in a school gym and the rest of the class was playing in another area.

The accused approached the second victim when he was sitting at his desk and would come up behind him and rub his back. He would then push his hands down the back of the boy’s pants. This happened on five or six occasions and the boy would try to push him away.

The third victim was also summoned to the accused man’s desk, where he was made to practice reading aloud. The boy would know what was about to happen and try his best to stand as far away as possible from the accused. He would then be pulled close to the accused, who used to place his hand down the boy’s pants. This would happen regularly, the court heard, and the boy would read as fast as possible to try to get away.

The fourth victim was called to the accused man’s desk and sat on his knee. The accused placed one arm around the boy’s waist and the other into his underwear before rubbing his penis. On the first occasion, the boy said he froze, while on the second, he tried to turn and get away from the accused.

The final victim was at his desk when the accused stood behind him, pulled the boy close to him, put his hand down the boy’s pants and touched his bottom.

Three victim impact statements were handed into court. One victim read his own statement, with the prosecuting council reading the others.

“I was afraid, ashamed, and I felt alone in a class of 40,” one victim said. He said he “could not trust anyone for decades” as a result of the abuse, adding “When you abuse a child, it doesn’t end when you take your hand from their pants.”

Another victim said the abuse had left him with “trust issues, especially with people in a position of power,” and that he “has anxiety issues”. He said what happened had “a lifelong effect on me”.

The third victim impact statement stated that “all of the old memories came flooding back to me when I spoke with gardaí”.

“For the past three years, my anxiety has been the worst it has ever been. He is the epitome of evil.”

Sgt Neary agreed with Ronan Kennedy, SC, defending, that the accused was living outside of Ireland when the complaints were made to gardaí and that he returned voluntarily for an interview. Mr Kennedy handed documents into the court outlining his client’s health issues.

Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Elma Sheahan said “this offending has affected every facet of these men’s lives”.

She said the aggravating factors in the case were the seriousness and repetitive nature of the offending, the breach of trust and the age disparity between the accused and the victims.

Judge Sheahan considered mitigating factors including the accused’s medical issues, a prison governor’s report, which states that he was a model prisoner, his co-operation with gardaí throughout the investigation and character references handed into court. She sentenced him to five years and 11 months, but suspended the final 11 months.

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