A MOTHER-OF-TWO who was sexually abused by her school principal as a child has begged for mercy over the legal bill of more than half a million euro she faces after losing a battle to make the State take responsibility for her suffering.

IT is “grossly utilitarian” to argue that the State as a matter of public policy should have no liability for the sexual abuse of children in national schools because this would lead to many other claims, the Supreme Court was told yesterday.

A WOMAN who was sexually assaulted 20 times by a national school principal at the age of eight has asked the Supreme Court, in a test case, to rule that the Minister for Education and the State are vicariously liable for the assaults.