Brother faces 77 child sex assault charges

A 76-year-old Brother of Charity has been charged with 77 counts of sexually assaulting five young boys in Co Cork.

A 76-year-old Brother of Charity has been charged with 77 counts of sexually assaulting five young boys in Co Cork.

James Kelly, otherwise known as Brother Ambrose, of no fixed abode, was brought before Cork District Court yesterday in connection with the offences which date back to the 1950s and 1960s. Mr Pearse Sreenan, for Brother Ambrose, said he had expressed a desire to plead guilty to all of the charges brought against him.

Judge Uinsín Mac Gruairc asked Brother Ambrose if he understood the nature and facts of the offences, to which he replied "Yes." Brother Ambrose also told the court that he wished to plead guilty to all the charges facing him.

He was remanded in custody at Cork Prison overnight to appear at Cork Circuit Criminal Court this morning.