IRELAND
Sunday World
A former priest and school principal has had his appeal against conviction for sexually abusing a pupil rejected by the Court of Appeal.
Con Desmond, (79), with an address as Woodlands, Kilrush Road, Ennis, Co Clare, had pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of indecently assaulting a boy at St Stephen’s De La Salle National School in Waterford between 1978 and June 1980.
He was found guilty by a jury at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to two years imprisonment on each count to run concurrently by Judge Donagh McDonagh on February 19 2013.
Desmond’s appeal against conviction, on grounds of delay and conflicting evidence, was rejected by the Court of Appeal yesterday.
Giving background to the case President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice Seán Ryan said the first incident occurred sometime in January 1978 when the boy who was aged eight at the time had gotten very wet cycling to school.
The evidence was that his teacher, a Brother Aengus, had sent him to the principal’s office possibly with a view to getting him dried off or sending him home because he was soaked, the judge said.
He was sexually abused by Desmond on that occasion and had given extensive details about the precise events that happened, Mr Justice Ryan said. “It undoubtedly constituted serious sexual abuse”.
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