Former Christian Brother accused of repeated sexual abuse by former pupil

Paul Dunleavy pictured in 2018

A former pupil of Gortnamona Secondary School in Belfast has claimed he was subjected to repeated sexual abuse by former headmaster Paul Dunleavy in the mid-1980s, Belfast Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

The complainant is one of nine men who have alleged they were abused as children by the former Christian Brother.

The 88-year-old, with an address at Glen Road in Belfast, is currently standing trial at Belfast Crown Court on a total of 37 charges of historic sexual abuse.

The offences, which include indecent assault and gross indecency with or towards a child, are alleged to have been committed on dates between 1964 and 1991 when Mr Dunleavy worked as either a teacher or headmaster at four schools in Belfast, Newry, and Armagh.

On the second day of the trial, the jury heard evidence from a former Gortnamona pupil who said he was repeatedly abused by the school's headmaster, who he referred to as 'Brother Dunleavy.'

He said that after seeing a TV report regarding Mr Dunleavy, he told his wife what happened to him when he was at school.

He then contacted the PSNI.

A subsequent interview with police, which was conducted and recorded in May 2019, was played to the jury today.

During this interview, the complainant, who repeatedly broke down in tears, said he had a difficult time at school and that his headmaster, 'Brother Dunleavy,' showed him kindness.

He told a police officer that he often went to the headmaster's office and that on numerous occasions 'Brother Dunleavy' told him to sit on his knee, and thereafter he was subjected to sexual abuse.

The complainant also said during the interview that Mr Dunleavy "was a huge man compared to me" and that his headmaster would tell him, "you are loved, and I love you".

Under cross-examination by defence barrister Gary McHugh KC, the man rejected the suggestion that his motivation was compensation.

Saying he has never made a claim, the complainant said: "This isn't about money".

Mr McHugh then told the complainant that his client Mr Dunleavy denied allegations of sexual abuse, but the complainant reiterated his stance and said: "I can categorically state the majority of my abuse took place during my third year at Gortnamona" and named Mr Dunleavy as his abuser.

When the defence barrister pointed out that he told police in his interview that Mr Dunleavy had shown him kindness at school, the complainant broke down again and tearfully told the court, "At the time, I believed what Mr Dunleavy was doing to me was a sign of affection."

Mr McHugh then spoke of the complainant's "resentment" towards other teachers and pupils at the school and said to him, "when you saw the news reports, you were using this as an outlet for all your resentment. You thought 'Dunleavy will do' and that's what prompted you."

At this point, the clearly emotional complainant replied: "Not at all, quite the opposite. I have lived with this for many years, and I would never do such a thing."

The jury of six men and six women has already been told that Mr Dunleavy has been convicted on two separate occasions of a series of sexual offences against children in his care at a number of schools where he taught.