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Former school principal jailed over indecent assaults of boy
A former school principal convicted of the indecent assault of six boys over a 30-year period has been jailed for four years for some of these offences.
Aidan Clohessy (85) was convicted of 19 counts of indecent assault following two separate trials at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last month.
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Imposing sentence in the first case against him on Monday, Judge Elva Duffy said Clohessy was 'living a life full of good deeds during the day', but was also 'an ogre' who carried out 'what can only be described as atrocities at night time, when no one could see that behaviour'.
Clohessy was the principal of St Augustine's School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin from the early 1970s until 1993. The six boys were all pupils of the school. Some were boarders at the school, which catered for boys with mild to moderate learning disability at that time.
The boys were aged between 10 and 13 when Clohessy's offending took place. The abuse primarily took the form of inappropriate touching, the court heard.
In the first trial, Clohessy, with an address at the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Granada, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, was convicted of 14 counts of indecent assault - 10 in relation to one boy and four in relation to a second boy on dates between 1983 and 1985.
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On Monday, he was handed a global sentence of four years in relation to the offending against these two injured parties.
Judge Duffy noted Clohessy's age and health would make custody more challenging for him.
The jury in the second trial returned guilty verdicts on five counts of indecent assault – two for one boy, and one count each in relation to three other boys. All this offending took place between 1969 and 1986. Clohessy was acquitted of three further counts of indecent assault.
Having heard evidence in this case on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the case overnight to consider sentence.
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Victim impact statements were read to the court on behalf of all six injured parties. They outlined how the abuse affected their mental health, relationships, education and later employment opportunities.
One man said: 'Brother Aidan, I don't forgive you but I don't judge you anymore. That responsibility does not belong to me.
'One day, you will stand before the man you chose to serve. One day, you will stand before your maker, and on that day, you will be handed your judgement.'
Another said he struggled to learn his wedding vows or to read his children a story.
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Clohessy was interviewed voluntarily by gardaí and denied wrongdoing. He acknowledged that corporal punishment was used in the school including by him. Clohessy told gardaí this included striking boys on their bare buttocks, but said this was only for the most serious offences and only of those boys who were residents at the school.
The investigating gardaí agreed with Ronan Kennedy SC, defending, that his client was co-operative during the investigation.
The garda further agreed that Clohessy has been the subject of adverse media publicity.
Mr Kennedy told the court his client will not be appealing the jury's decision in either trial.
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Clohessy is originally from Co Limerick and entered the religious order after completing his Leaving Certificate in 1958. He initially trained as a psychiatric nurse and after some years working in this area, retrained as a teacher.
Clohessy started work at St Augustine's School in 1969, becoming principal in the mid 1970s.
Mr Kennedy said his client served in roles on the provisional leadership team and was appointed in 1993 to lead a mission in Malawi to develop mental health services there where he remained until 2013 when he returned to Ireland.
Mr Kennedy said Clohessy lives 'a humble and quiet existence' and supports other members of the religious community who have significant health issues.
A medical report and two testimonials were handed to the court on Clohessy's behalf.
Mr Kennedy asked the court to take into account his client will find custody more difficult due to his age and health issues.
He submitted that his client would have to live with the stigma of being a sex offender and has already been subject to negative publicity. 'In many respects, he was already condemned and judged in the court of public opinion before he was ever tried in this court,' Mr Kennedy said.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help
.
