Sex abuse accused tells gardaí he overdosed
Edward Bryan, aged 59, of Martinvilla, Athboy Rd, Trim, Co Meath, is on trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after pleading not guilty to 10 charges of indecent assault.
Bryan, who retired from the Christian Brothers almost 20 years ago, denied the charges of indecently assaulting two boys, each on one occasion, indecently assaulting another boy three times and another boy on five occasions, at the North Monastery CBS school.
The accused told Det Sgt Vincent O’Sullivan, that he took an overdose on Jun 29, 2010.
“Why did you do that?” Det Sgt O’Sullivan asked.
Bryan replied: “I still ask myself that question. Doctors tell me I was just burnt out, acute physical exhaustion, acute mental exhaustion.”
Asked if he was married, he said: “I am single, it is only myself and the dog.”
A video recording of this interview was played for Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin and a jury of seven women and four men yesterday.
One of the jurors was excluded from further participation before the commencement of evidence on the third day of the trial yesterday.
Asked if he ever did one- on-one training sessions with boys for basketball, Bryan replied: “Not a whole lot, I had some of the seniors practising shooting and that.”
“Did you ever ask any student to buy Speedos?” he was asked, and replied: “No, definitely not true.”
When the specific allegations of indecent assaults were put to the defendant by gardaí he denied the claims.
The case continues today.
