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Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Ex school principal harassed two teachers forcing them to leave their posts
The harassment consisted of Walsh sending anonymised letters and cards to the women Celia Walsh, Director of Waterford Education Support Centre, a former principal of Murrintown National School in Wexford and a part-time lecturer with the University of Limerick, targeted the women after they raised concerns over safety protocols in a school where her sister held a role. The harassment consisted of Walsh sending anonymised letters and cards to the women, forging documents from the Teaching Council to make them fear they were under investigation and making calls to and leaving voicemails on the phone of one of her victim's elderly mother-in-law. Walsh, who gives training courses for teachers in the area of Special Education Needs with the Waterford Education Support Centre, appeared before Wexford District Court earlier this month where she was convicted of two counts of harassment and one count of forgery. Walsh did not want to add to her court apology when she was approached by our reporter Patrick O'Connell A six-month sentence was imposed on each of the counts of harassment, she was ordered to pay €4,000 to each of her victims, and a 10-month sentence was handed down to her for the count of forging Teaching Council documents. Convictions Approached by the Sunday World at her home outside the village of Campile last week, Walsh, who holds a doctorate in education and lectured as a tutor in educational leadership at UL, declined to add to an apology she offered in court for her behaviour. Instead, she told our reporter she did 'not want journalists calling to her home'. When contacted, the University of Limerick, which was not aware of Walsh's convictions prior to our call, declined to comment. The Sunday World understands Walsh was not employed as a staff lecturer with the university but was instead part of a panel from which the college drew tutors when the module in educational leadership was running. A source said other universities and colleges also had access to this panel of lecturers. The Waterford Education Support Centre – which, on its website, describes Walsh as 'a good role model for all staff employed in the Centre' – did not answer queries as to whether it had taken steps to address her behaviour. Walsh talks with our reporter Patrick O'Connell At Walsh's sentencing hearing, Garda Donal Doyle told the court that he had received correspondence from Victim A in November 2020 that appeared to be a letter from the Teaching Council. 'I was extremely worried that I had been reported to The Teaching Council,' the victim told the court. 'I was so upset. I cried in work and at home that day. The evening I received it, at 7pm it was confirmed by the Teaching Council of Ireland that the letter did not originate from them.' After this incident, on February 14, 2022, Victim A received a Valentine's day card which was posted to her home address which read 'Happy Valentines Day, see you soon'. Victim A was in a long term relationship at this time. A month later a St Patrick's Day card was also sent to her home. In her victim impact statement, victim A said: 'These implied I was having an affair. This not only attempted to tarnish my reputation but also attacked my personal life. Celia Walsh attempted to cause huge suspicion in my relationship. 'It was mortifying and deeply upsetting to know that someone was trying to harm me so personally and vindictively.' Alarm The second complainant, Victim B, worked in the school alongside Victim A. Both women had raised concerns within the school and in June 2020 Victim B received a letter which again appeared to be from the Teaching Council which was sent to her home address. This letter seemed to accuse the injured party of harassing and bullying co-workers and referred to health and safety legislation. The defendant also phoned Victim B's mother-in-law. The court heard these calls were not threatening but deemed inappropriate, with Garda Doyle saying 'the tone was not great'. In her victim impact statement, Victim B said: 'The arrival of anonymous letters created suspicion, alarm, fear and disbelief. 'Nothing like this had ever happened to me in my career, before or since. I felt so hurt and so distressed at the loss of what had been a wonderful school atmosphere prior to September 2019. 'Each anonymous item that was sent by Celia Walsh had to be composed, typed, printed, folded, placed in an envelope, addressed, stamped, brought to a post office or letter box, and posted. At any one of these steps, Celia Walsh could have stopped herself, but she did not. 'When I was informed by Detective Garda Donal Doyle that the investigation confirmed that Celia Walsh was the author of the anonymous letters, I was shocked that as a former principal of two schools, director of a Teacher Centre and a recently-qualified Doctor of Education, Celia Walsh would threaten, intimidate and harass a fellow teacher. I felt that Celia Walsh's conduct was a betrayal of the teaching profession.' In relation to the St Patrick's Day card received by Victim A in March 2021, the stamp was traced to the post office in which it was bought as well as the date and time it was bought. This allowed gardai to locate CCTV and identify Celia Walsh as the person buying the stamp. As a result, Walsh was arrested and made admissions. She claimed she was trying to help her sister who held a position within the school at the time. Sentence Ross Pratt O'Brien BL, counsel for the defendant, said his client was the older sister to a woman who worked within the school and this woman would have kept the accused appraised of everything going on within the school. He described the incident as 'not a very sophisticated operation' which Garda Doyle confirmed, but stated there was a bit of thought in putting everything together. Walsh took to the witness stand to convey her apologies to the injured parties. Judge John Cheatle stated he could not see the benefit in imprisoning the accused and imposed a 10-month sentence suspended for 12 months, and also ordered €4,000 be paid to each of the injured parties as a gesture of remorse and in circumstances where the victims do not want the money they can nominate a charity for the funds to be paid to. Celia Walsh escaped with a suspended sentence for her actions News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, August 5th
Sunday World
16-07-2025
- Sunday World
Woman who harassed two teachers causing both to quit jobs gets suspended jail sentence
Victims told the court how they were on 'constant alert' and felt helpless and unsafe A woman who harassed two teachers at a school in the New Ross district to such an extent that both of them ended up leaving their positions has received a ten month suspended prison sentence. The woman in her early 60s who was charged with harassment was present in court last week when both injured parties described the effect her actions had had on them during her campaign of harassment. Garda Donal Doyle told the court that he had received correspondence from Victim A, in November 2020 that appeared to be a letter from the Teaching Council which was delivered to the school attaching the code of conduct signed off as the 'Education Department' within the council. Brendan Curran, state solicitor, queried with Garda Doyle if this department exists to which he confirmed it does not. After this incident on February 14, 2022 Victim A received a Valentines day card which was posted to her home address which read 'Happy Valentines Day, see you soon'. Victim A was in a long term relationship at this time. A month later a St. Patrick's Day card was also sent to her home. Mr Curran put to the court that the implication of these cards was that they were from a secret admirer and could cause significant issues in her relationship. Garda Doyle confirmed these cards were sent to Victim A's home address and caused her significant stress. The second complainant, Victim B, was a colleague working in the school alongside Victim A. Both women had raised concerns within the school and in June 2020 Victim B received a letter which again appeared to be from the teaching council which was sent to her home address. This letter seemed to accuse the injured party of harassing and bullying co-workers and referred to health and safety legislation. On December 18, 2020 the defendant was staring into the classroom of Victim B. The defendant also phoned Victim B's mother-in-law. The court heard these calls were not threatening but deemed inappropriate, with Garda Doyle saying 'the tone was not great'. In October 2021 Victim B received correspondence purporting to be from the teaching council with the code of conduct attached and again Garda Doyle said it didn't come from the council. Ultimately complaints were made and investigated by Garda Doyle. In relation to the St. Patrick's Day card received by Victim A in March 2021 the stamp was able to be traced to the post office it was bought as well as the date and time it was bought. This allowed gardaí to locate CCTV and identify the accused as the person buying the stamp. As a result of this warrants were executed, one of which led to the seizure of a printer which correlated to a print test page that was on the back of one of the letters included in the letters purporting to be from the teaching council, and the accused was then arrested. She made admissions at the time and was further interviewed on two occasions where she also made full admissions to the correspondence but did not accept the accusation of staring into the window at the school. The accused claimed she was trying to help her sister who held a position within the school at the time. Victim A read her victim impact statement into court. She detailed that in the final three years of teaching within the school there were staff issues and during this time she began to receive anonymous post. Victim A said that these malicious letters were sent to damage her professional and personal relationships, and her sense of trust in the workplace felt undermined. She became worried that she had been reported to the teaching council and was incredibly upset, on the same date it was received the teaching council confirmed that it was not from them. Victim A claimed the third and fourth letters received, the cards sent to her home address, were the most devastating as they implied she was having an affair and attempted to cause a rift in her relationship. She stated in her final two years of teaching she became increasingly anxious and isolated, entering the school only through the back door and rarely leaving her room unless necessary. Victim A said how she had ultimately decided to leave the school which she described as 'one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made'. She added the effect the letters had was 'devastating' as she began to feel stressed and anxious, and felt vulnerable and unsafe at the idea of receiving further letters. The victim added that her peace of mind was taken from her. She said the 'emotional pain had been all consuming'. Victim A also noted that the defendant, who also had an educational background herself, should have known the serious damage her actions could cause. Victim A ended her statement on a bittersweet note stating she is finally beginning to put her life back together and that she is grateful for the years she had in this school and remembers her past pupils fondly and is thankful for the colleagues she has had the privilege of working with stating they are still some of her greatest friends. Victim B then shared she felt she was targeted for raising child and staff safety issues within the school over two years and seven months. She described how she felt unsafe, threatened, and under attack by the letters as the letters suggested insider knowledge of the school's issues. Victim B said she felt hurt over the loss of what had been a good school atmosphere. She stated she had reported all the letters received to her Board of Management yet no action was taken, as a result she worried constantly about another letter. Victim B emphasised to the court the premeditation involved in these letters as they needed to be 'typed, printed, folded, placed into an envelope, addressed, stamped, brought to a post office or letterbox, and posted'. When Victim B as informed by Garda Doyle that the defendant, who Victim B said was a former principal in addition to holding other educational qualifications, was the culprit behind the letters she felt her conduct was a betrayal of the teaching profession. Victim B also recounted an incident in January 2021, when the defendant contacted her elderly mother-in-law, leaving phone calls and voicemails that the victim described as threatening and demanding. She felt that the tone of these calls showed a complete lack of respect for the elderly woman and caused immense worry and stress. As a result of the ongoing harassment, Victim B became 'constantly on high alert', fearing that the defendant was watching or following her. She described the worry as 'relentless". Ultimately, the victim made the difficult decision to leave the school. She described the emotional toll as leaving her feeling 'afraid, weak, helpless, unsafe, and vulnerable'. She referred to the entire ordeal as 'a nightmare I could not wake from' in which there was no escape or relief. Victim B thanked the gardaí for their professionalism, commitment, and kindness in this case and also stated she is grateful to her family, friends, and colleagues for the support received during these circumstances and counts herself lucky for these people in her life. Ross Pratt O'Brien BL, counsel for the defendant, confirmed that there was ongoing issues within the school and stated it was a fair assessment to say there were a number of parties involved at the time. Mr. Pratt O'Brien BL told the court that the defendant is the older sister to a woman who worked within the school and this woman would have kept the accused appraised of everything going on within the school. As a token of remorse a sum of €4,000 was offered to both victims which Garda Doyle confirmed was refused. Mr. Pratt O'Brien BL described the incident as 'not a very sophisticated operation' which Garda Doyle confirmed but stated there was a bit of thought in putting everything together. Garda Doyle confirmed the accused has no previous convictions, made early admissions, and has not come to An Garda Síochána attention since the last incident in March 2022. The defendant then took to the witness stand to convey her apologies to both of the injured parties. She acknowledged the hurt and expressed her deep regret for the hurt she caused to the individuals involved. She stated she felt immense pressure to support her sister who was experiencing challenges within the school and acknowledged how she should not have allowed her emotions to dominate and control her actions and should have maintained a neutral and objective stance. She described her actions as 'unwise and very regrettable". The accused offered her sincere apologies to all parties involved and expressed her deep remorse for the impact her actions had. Mr. Pratt O'Brien BL urged the court to consider a probation report in the unusual circumstances of the case where there were ongoing issues within the school and Walsh felt protective of her sister. The barrister told the court that the defendant is working part time as a lecturer and her career is essentially winding down. Counsel reminded the court of the accused's sincere apology and remorse for her actions and stated he is seeking a probation report as he feels certain issues will come to light in this report. Judge John Cheatle described the incident as an 'out of character event with very serious consequences' but did not order a probation report and instead opted to finalise matters for the peace of mind of both injured parties. Judge Cheatle commended the victims for their statements and also the gardaí for their professionalism in this case. He remarked that when the defendant began sending these letters that she had no idea of the 'catastrophic effect' her actions would have on both women and their families and friends in so many ways. Judge Cheatle stated he cannot see the benefit in imprisoning the accused and imposed a 10-month sentence suspended for 12-months, and also ordered €4,000 be paid to each of the injured parties as a gesture of remorse and in circumstances where the victims do not want the money they can nominate a charity for the funds to be paid to. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme Wexford Courthouse. Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 16th
Irish Times
15-07-2025
- Irish Times
‘He was in a position of power': Student tells inquiry she realised later that ‘sexual relationship' with teacher made her vulnerable
A Teaching Council inquiry panel has retired to consider allegations of a sexual relationship between a teacher and a student. The complainant has told the Teaching Council that when she was an 18-year-old student a teacher at her school had sexual encounters with her on four to six occasions between March and June 2018. She also alleges she and the teacher sent communications to each other on Snapchat, the social media app, many of which were of a sexually explicit nature, including photos of a penis and nude photos of the complainant. The teacher was not present at the proceedings on Tuesday. READ MORE At the inquiry the complainant gave evidence about six videos that were played to the panel at the inquiry and were recorded by a trusted university friend of the complainant in March 2022 on the friend's phone. The complainant said she began seeing matters from an adult perspective during her first year in college. It was then she came to believe the teacher's conduct breached ethical standards. 'It was quite difficult to recognise that I was in a vulnerable situation. I have a lot of guilt. [The teacher] was in a position of power. He was trained. He could have dealt with the situation differently,' she said. She said she was attending counselling over the interactions and was now scared of seeing the teacher. The complainant further gave evidence that the teacher also followed her on Instagram and 'liked' her posts between 2020 and 2022. She also said a girl in her year in the school sent her a picture from March 2017 of a Tinder profile under the name 'Muinteoir', which the complainant alleges was that of the teacher. She claims it shows both parties had 'matched' with each other. After hearing legal advice, the panel has retired to consider the claims and whether, if proven, these amount to a finding of professional misconduct and/or a breach of the Code of Conduct for Teachers.
Sunday World
15-07-2025
- Sunday World
Teacher who allegedly had sex with teen said ‘I only f**ked one student', inquiry told
LATEST | The then-18-year-old student, who claims the teacher 'groomed' her on Snapchat before starting a sexual relationship with her Stock image: Getty The then-18-year-old student, who claims the teacher 'groomed' her on Snapchat before starting a sexual relationship with her, said he never showed any remorse about what happened or acknowledged any potential harm in it. She said he had been in a 'position of power as an educator' and knew she was vulnerable when they had sex up to six times, while it was 'not my responsibility to set boundaries and repel his advances.' The complainant, known as Ms A, concluded her evidence today in a fitness-to-teach inquiry being held by the Teaching Council. The case will be decided by an inquiry panel which retired to begin deliberations this afternoon. The man is accused of professional misconduct and breaching the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, which he denies. It is alleged he inappropriately added Ms A on Snapchat in October 2017 and had contact with her on the platform up to June 2018, sending her messages, pictures and memes of a sexual nature. He allegedly had an inappropriate sexual relationship with her between March and June that year, and provided her with alcohol. It is further alleged that he touched and kissed her best friend in a pub on sixth year graduation night in May 2018, and also inappropriately contacted her on Snapchat. Ms A last week told the hearing the teacher, 10 years her senior, worked at her school and she did not have classes with him but he gave her grinds before adding her on Snapchat. Their messages became increasingly intimate before they began exchanging explicit photos - he would send her 'd**k pics' while she sent nude photos of herself, she said. They had sex four to six times - in her mother's bed, his car and at his apartment - she said, and he sent Snapchat messages including: 'Should f**k soon', and 'car sex later'. Today, Ms A said when she was in college she grew 'more uncomfortable' about what had happened. She confided in a 'trusted' college friend, Ms C, and asked her to be there when she got back in touch with the teacher on Snapchat in 2022. 'We engaged in conversation which enabled me to scroll through our chat history which (Ms C) recorded with her mobile phone,' she said. Ms A asked the teacher about his new job at another school, and he allegedly said: 'I'm just a normal teacher now, no more recklessness.' Ms A took this to mean inappropriate sexual relationships with students. He told her he had 'had to get out of' where he had been teaching. 'It wasn't good for me, ha ha, good for my sex life alright, but that's it ha ha,' he said. When she said to him he had got with so many students back in the day, he replied: 'excuse me, I only f**ked one student, ha ha.' She took this to mean herself. Ms A said she had hoped the teacher would acknowledge that what happened was harmful to her but he did not. 'I didn't get any sense that (he) recognised even the potential risk of harm in making sexual advances on a student,' she said. Ms C said in a statement that Ms A had been 'worried about other potential victims." It was 'playing on her mind' that she had 'brought the whole thing on herself' and Ms C told her this was not the case and the teacher was 'a freak.' The teacher has not attended the inquiry in person and is not required to do so. In a pre-inquiry submission, he questioned the the credibility of Ms A's account, said her case was 'weak' and there was 'nothing to suggest he had anything other than an exemplary record of teaching,' Neasa Bird BL, for the director of the Teaching Council, said the teacher had had a position of responsibility to Ms A and to act in her best interest, not to 'exploit his position." Over a protracted period, he 'effectively steered a Leaving Cert student towards a sexual relationship' with lewd, suggestive, flirting messages before proceeding to a physical sexual relationship which he facilitated by encouraging her to consume alcohol. 'These actions were extremely grave and have evidently had a profoundly adverse effect on Ms A,' Ms Bird said. The behaviour "clearly" amounted to "disgraceful or dishonourable conduct." While the teacher did not admit the allegations, there had been no cross examination of the witnesses so their evidence was 'uncontroverted," she said. Solicitor Eoin McGlinchey, for the teacher, said his client was assumed to be innocent and the inquiry panel could not draw any adverse inferences from the fact that he did not give evidence. Mr McGlinchey argued that there must be 'doubts' over the dates Ms A gave for the alleged misconduct. She initially said it took place on dates after she was a student at the school, and later changed this. He also asked the panel to consider a 'heartfelt' letter Ms A wrote to Ms B in June 2018 when she 'specifically denied' any sexual relationship with the teacher. Mr McGlinchey said there were 'inconsistencies' in Ms A's statement which meant the allegations could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Ms Bird responded that Ms A had 'simply made a mistake' with the initial dates and the messages all had the correct date stamp in 2018, when she was still a student.
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Irish Times
‘He wanted to have sex': Fitness to teach inquiry hears allegations teacher drove student to driveway of old factory
A fitness-to-teach inquiry has heard testimony from a former Leaving Certificate student of how a teacher picked her up from her estate after school and brought her to the driveway of an old factory. 'He wanted to have sex, I wasn't sure. I remember trying to get over to the driver's side, I remember the clunkiness of it,' the witness told the inquiry on Wednesday. She has complained to the Teaching Council that while she was an 18-year-old student, a teacher at her school had sexual encounters with her on four to six occasions between March and June 2018. The complainant also alleges that she and the teacher sent communications to each other on Snapchat, the social media app, many of which were of a sexually explicit nature, including photos of a penis and nude photos of the complainant. READ MORE The teacher, who was not present, submitted that the complainant's case was a weak one which lacked detail. He submitted the case contained inconsistencies regarding dates, that the complainant had narrowed the date range on which the sexual encounters occurred on to between March and April 2018, and he noted the complainant said the sexual relationship was consensual. The teacher, who has been registered since 2016 taught in the school for five years. He is now working at another school and submitted that he has 'an exemplary record of service in both schools'. The complainant alleged that after speaking with her best friend and classmate, she found out the teacher was also sending inappropriate messages to her, messages which he had also sent to the complainant. The complainant further related how at the time of the allegations she was not in a positive mental state. She said she was drinking alcohol, had issues with food and that two years previously was hospitalised and that the teacher was aware of her mental health issues. She outlined a pattern of deleting the teacher from Snapchat and adding him again if she was struggling and as a means of coping. She felt he had a duty of care to her as a student and that he took advantage of her poor judgment. She said he encouraged her drinking and he sometimes provided her with cigarettes when he would pick her up in his car close to her home. She said while she did okay in her Leaving Certificate, her experiences that year with the teacher had an effect on her. She told how days before the exams she forwarded a letter to her best friend which outlined some details of the behaviour between herself and the teacher, but not the sexual nature of it as the teacher had convinced her not to. Neasa Bird, BL for the director of the Teaching Council, said that it is her client's contention that there is a prima-facie case of professional misconduct and a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. The complainant, with the assistance of a trusted friend, previously submitted videos to the Teaching Council of her scrolling down through some of the Snapchat communications she had saved. The complainant also said the teacher's behaviour was manipulatory, that he had groomed her before having a sexual relationship with her. She related how the teacher provided her with a study plan when she was struggling with her mental health even though he was not one of her teachers. However, she felt this intervention was a tactic on his part to reassert him as a responsible adult, another method of gaining her trust. She related how she first came into contact with him when she obtained two lessons of additional tuition from him in August 2017, when she was 17. She said he added her, accidentally he said, on Snapchat that October. The complainant had turned 18 the previous month. She said a message from the teacher to her on Facebook, even though they were not Facebook friends, in December 2022 offering his congratulations to her on graduating from university spurred her to make her complaint to the Teaching Council. It was decided at a preliminary hearing that there would be no disclosure of the name of the school or of any information which would reveal the identity of any witnesses. The panel also ruled today that this order of anonymity would not extend to the name of the teacher. The inquiry will reconvene on Tuesday, July 15th.
