Principal ‘stole youth’ of victims

A judge said yesterday a retired 80-year-old school principal had “stolen the youth” of his victims and robbed them of their childhood during sex abuse over a 21-year period.

Judge Gerald Keyes made his comments at Ennis Circuit Court when sentencing Patrick Barry, of Well Rd, Kilkee, Co Clare, to 11 years imprisonment for the sexual assault of 11 schoolgirls at Moyasta NS between 1964 and 1985.

The final five years were suspended in light of Barry’s age and health.

The judge sentenced Barry to one year for each of the victims.

The girls were aged between nine and 13 when the abuse occurred. Now middle-aged, they hugged each other and wept after Judge Keyes imposed his sentence on the former headmaster.

Speaking outside court, one of the victims said justice had been served, adding she would never forgive Barry for his failure to show any remorse or sorrow for the abuse he committed.

As Barry was waiting to be escorted to the prison van, he also had to run the gauntlet of other prisoners shouting abuse at him.

One of the victims in court described Barry as a vicious wolf lying in wait for her every day who “terrorised and abused me for daily for years”.

In his judgment, Judge Keyes said Barry held a position of trust as school principal and abused the girls for his own sexual satisfaction over a long period of time.

He said Barry “has shown no remorse whatsoever”.

He said Barry had taken “the innocence of these young children in your pursuit of personal satisfaction. You have done so heedless and uncaring for the consequences for your victims”.

“You undermined their trust in adults, stolen their youth and trust and robbed them of their childhood.”

He said Barry had caused the victims “hurt, torment, and self doubt”.

Mr Barry was found guilty of 59 counts of sexual assault after a nine-day trial in Ennis in July and was on bail until yesterday’s hearing.

Judge Keyes said: “Throughout the trial, you have maintained through your counsel that all the allegations of sexual assault made by each of the 11 complainants were untrue, false and untrustworthy and a distortion of the truth.

“It was also put to each of the complainants that their memory was impaired and their evidence was unreliable, exaggerated, unrealistic and untrue.

“The jury rejected all of these contentions on all 59 counts.

“Despite the verdict of the jury, you have shown no remorse for your wrongdoing or apologised to any of your victims.”

Judge Keyes said Barry had “permanently scared the lives of 11 pupils”.

“Instead of having happy memories of their school years from age nine to 13, you have left them with sadness, a guilty complex and an inability to trust others. It is clear that their childhood memories have been completely overshadowed by your actions.

“This has affected their personal relationship and the academic potential for some was undermined and not achieved.”

Judge Keyes said another aggravating factor was that the abuse took place in the classroom.

“As a result of your conduct, I’ve no doubt you have lost your good name and standing in the community.”