Former Christian brother found guilty of sex offences against schoolchildren – The Irish Times

A former Christian Brother has been found guilty of sex crimes against schoolchildren. Paul Dunleavy (88), from Glen Road in west Belfast, was on trial for 32 counts of sexual abuse, one of attempted sodomy and four of gross indecency.

The offences were committed at Christian Brother schools in Belfast, Co Armagh and Co Down when he was a teacher and later headteacher there. During the trial at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch KC directed the jury to find him not guilty of one count of sexual assault.

After deliberating for about five hours over two days, the jury of six men and six women today unanimously returned guilty verdicts on 31 counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sodomy and two counts of gross indecency.

After further deliberation, the presiding judge informed the court that they had reached a verdict of guilty on the remaining two counts of gross indecency by a majority of 11 to 1. As the verdicts were read, victims in the gallery were seen crying and comforted by family members. Dunleavy, wearing a red coat and listening to the proceedings through headphones, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read.

The offences were committed between 1964 and 1991 against nine male complainants while Dunleavy was working as a teacher or headteacher at four schools in Belfast, Newry, Co Down and Co Armagh.

Dunleavy was a teacher at Armagh Christian Brothers Primary School between 1960 and 1966. He later moved to Abbey Christian Brothers Primary School in Newry from 1966 to 1973 before returning to the school as headteacher in 1987 until his retirement in 1998.

Dunleavy also taught at St. Aiden's Christian Brothers Primary School on the Whiterock Road in west Belfast from 1973 to 1977, becoming its headmaster from 1980 to 1985. He was also headmaster of Gortnamona Secondary School in west Belfast from 1985 to 1987.

The jury heard the statements of the nine victims in the case, who were called by the prosecution to give evidence. One victim was in Year 11 at Armagh Christian Brothers Primary School around 1965/66. Boy A told police that Dunleavy took him to the showers of a nearby secondary school, where he was told to undress and shower while the defendant watched.

The victim claimed Dunleavy then “dried him off” before sexually assaulting him. He told police this happened “regularly.”

The boy claimed that Dunleavy sometimes taught him and that he was then held back and sexually abused after class. Other victims were abused by Dunleavy in the principal's office, in a school storeroom and in the rectory. One victim recalled being told to “take a bar of chocolate and go back to class” after the sexual abuse, while another told the jury how he was “beaten to a pulp” and sexually abused by the “bad, bad, bad man.”

In June 2023, Dunleavy was sentenced to ten years in prison for 23 different sex offenses against children.

Judge Lynch said he would deliver sentence on Friday, October 25. The defendant was remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.