Accused had disagreement with other Christian Brother over relationship with young people

A former Christian Brother has told the indecent assault trial of a member of the order that he had disagreement with the accused over his relationship with young people.

He made his claim while being cross examined by defence counsel, Mr Felix McEnroy SC, on the third day of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The 62-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to indecently assaulting a teenage boy between August 3, 1985 and August 14, 1986 on a hill near Finore, Co Clare, and between August 1, 1987 and August 31, 1989 in the accused's Dublin home.

The witness said he had shared a house with the accused during the dates of the second alleged assault and was present on the dates of the first in Finore where they had taken a group of disadvantaged local boys on a week-long holiday.

He told Mr McEnroy he had the disagreement with the accused in 1989, shortly before he left the house. Mr McEnroy asked him to confirm that during his time at both locations, there was nothing about the accused he saw that would give rise to the complaints before the court.

"Well as I already said, towards the end of my time in (the house), we had a disagreement," he said and when asked if this was "an ordinary disagreement", he replied: "No."

He told Judge Tony Hunt that he had noticed an injury above the accused's eye at the time and the accused told him he had been struck by a young man, who might have been visiting the house.

He confirmed that the disagreement he had with the accused did not arise in relation to any complaint of a sexual nature and that the young man involved was not the complainant in the case.

Earlier, he told Mr McEnroy that the accused had an ability to talk to and relate to young people. "He was able to speak their language. It was a gift he had."

He agreed that Finore was "a very bleak place" at the time, with mobile homes resting on blocks among sand dunes and bull grass. He said he remembered 'Happy Birthday' being sung to one of the boys during the holiday.

The complainant previously told prosecuting counsel, Ms Mary Rose Gearty BL, that he celebrated his birthday while there. He also confirmed that despite it raining much of the time, he told the accused it was the best holiday of his life.

The trial continues before Judge Hunt and a jury of six men and six women.