Former school principal appealing indecent assault conviction is refused bail

An 80-year-old former national school principal has been refused bail pending his appeal against conviction for indecently assaulting 11 women while they were pupils of his in west Clare.

Patrick Barry (80), of Well Road, Kilkee, Co Clare, had pleaded not guilty to 67 charges of indecently assaulting 11 women on dates between 1964 and 1985 while they attended Moyasta National School as pupils.

Barry was found guilty by a jury of 59 counts of indecent assault and not guilty of the remaining eight counts by direction of the trial judge Judge Gerald Keyes.

He was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment with the final five suspended by Judge Keyes at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on November 19 2014.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice Seán Ryan said Barry had not raised a point of law for the purposes of his application and the court accordingly refused to grant him bail.

However, that was not in any way intended to adjudicate on Barry's prospects in the appeal, Mr Justice Ryan said while presiding alongside Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan.

He said the court had previously indicated that it was sympathetic to providing an early date for Barry’s hearing and fixed the date of February 23rd.

Judge Keyes had ordered Barry be identified on foot of requests from his victims, who themselves did not wish to be identified.