A Christian Brother who sexually assaulted boys over a period of many years has been remanded for sentence on February 1st next at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Patrick John Kelly, a native of Cork with an address at St Helen's, York Road, Dun Laoghaire, pleaded guilty on November 24th to a total of 53 charges; 51 of indecent assault and two of gross indecency. There were some 150 charges on the indictment.
His offences occurred in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Wicklow, Kildare and Tipperary on dates from 1977 to 1988 and were committed in schools, in his family home, in the victims' family homes, in a holiday home and a mobile home and in a field.
The court heard he was a trusted family friend of several of his 11 victims and he himself had been sexually abused for nine years from the age of four by an uncle, until he left home to join the Christian Brothers. He became suicidal when first confronted with the complaint against him and was sent for therapy.
Ms Mary Ellen Ring, prosecuting, told Judge Frank O'Donnell the maximum sentence for the indecent assault charges was 10 years' imprisonment and two years for gross indecency.
A victim whose complaint started the investigation and who campaigned for several years to have Kelly prosecuted told the court of the effect the abuse had had on him. His whole life had been destroyed by it.
He had had 40 psychiatric admissions and attempted suicide 15 times at least since he left school. He claimed that after he told his mother about the abuse she confronted the defendant, to be told the witness was only "an alcoholic, liar and junkie". He was still having counselling from the Rape Crisis Centre and would continue with it.
Another victim said he had never changed his child's nappy for fear it would be claimed he had improperly touched the child because he himself had been abused.
"The day he pleaded guilty was a great day. The next day was even better, but it's not over for us even if it is now for him. It gets harder all the time," he said. He had "locked it away" for many years until the Garda investigation.
The injured parties who gave evidence paid tribute to Sgt Denis Barry of Waterford, who investigated the major part of the case. Evidence was also given by Sgt John Madden of Rathmines and Sgt Don Mitchell of Tipperary.
Family members and friends of the victims cried openly and embraced in court during the hearing.
Under oath Kelly publicly apologised to his victims, their families, his family, former colleagues and the Irish Christian Brothers' congregation for the hurt, shame, disgrace and injury caused by his "criminal deviant behaviour for which I take full responsibility".
He said the victims' statements had seared on to his mind "the devastating effect my criminal sexual abuse had on them, the hurt inflicted on them and their deep sense of having been betrayed by their teacher". This was something he would carry for ever.
His "perverted sexual abuse" had deprived victims of their innocence, which was something very precious they could never recover and could never be returned to them.