Ex-priest and Principal Jailed for Two Years for Abusing Pupil

By Conor Kane
Irish Times
February 20, 2013

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2013/0220/1224330265891.html

A former priest and school principal was jailed for two years last night for indecently assaulting a pupil over 30 years ago.

Con Desmond (77) with an address at Woodlands, Kilrush Road, Ennis, Co Clare, was convicted last month at Waterford Circuit Court of 13 charges of indecently assaulting a pupil at the St Stephen’s De La Salle National School in Waterford city. He had denied the offences, which occurred between 1977 and 1980 when the victim was aged between eight and 10.

Desmond was principal of the school and the assaults took place in his office. Judge Donagh McDonagh said: “This is an evil man who exploited one of the most innocent who was entrusted to his care.”

He imposed a two-year sentence for each of the 13 charges, to run concurrently, and placed him on the sex offenders’ register. Desmond had six previous convictions for “similar incidents” at the De La Salle school between 1980 and 1983 and upon “students of the same age group”. He pleaded guilty to those offences in 2006 and received a three-year suspended term at the time.