Former Cork Scout leader David Barry pleads guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault

Barry admitted all 28 charges. One was attempted sexual assault. All of the others were actual sexual or indecent assaults

David Barry has admitted all 28 charges. One was attempted sexual assault. All of the others were actual sexual or indecent assaults.

Retired Cork businessman David Barry has just confessed to multiple charges of sexually assaulting boy scouts and has been remanded on bail for sentencing in June.

David Barry, 72, of Firgrove Gardens, Bishopstown, Cork, was arraigned at Cork Circuit Criminal Court today.

He stood in the dock, wearing a dark suit, striped tie, pale shirt, dark coat and black face mask. He replied, “Guilty, my lord,” to all of the charges on which he was arraigned.

He admitted all 29 charges. One was attempted sexual assault. All of the others were actual sexual or indecent assaults.

David Barry, of Firgrove Gardens, Bishopstown, Cork, at Cork District Court.

Defence senior counsel Tom Creed said: “I have applied for a medical report from my client’s GP and his cardiologist. He is not in the best of health. I don’t foresee any difficulty getting those.” 

Mr Creed said David Barry was also being seen by psychological services and a report would be available within four weeks.

State solicitor Frank Nyhan said he would require a series of victim impact statements from the ten victims.

Sentencing

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said he would adjourn sentencing until June 25. The defendant was remanded on continuing bail.

In the first book of evidence David Barry faced 27 historical counts of sexually assaulting boy scouts and a 28th charge related to an alleged attempted sexual assault. 

Those charges are in respect of nine different complainants — former boy scouts. Many of them are now in their 40s. All of the charges are sexual assault or indecent assault – which are in effect the same offence – but one is of attempted sexual assault. The attempted sexual assault relates to one complainant. The other charges relate variously to the other eight complainants.

Charges relate to a period from 1986 to 2005 at a location in Cork. Many of the charges relate to the 1980s and 1990s.

The second book of evidence relates to a single charge that on an unknown date between September 1 2007 and June 30 2008 he sexually assaulted a scout who was in his early teens.

When Detective Garda Gary Duggan first charged David Barry in December 2020 to most of the charges, he did not reply after caution but then added: “I am so sorry for anyone I hurt.”