Former Waterford school principal sentenced to four years for child sexual abuse

The former principal was convicted of nine counts of indecent assault and has previous convictions for similar offences against children

Former De La Salle principal Con Desmond jailed for child sexual abuse, with final year suspended. File picture: Patrick Browne

A former principal of De La Salle National School in Waterford has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for abusing a child, with the final year suspended.

Con Desmond, 91, was found guilty on nine counts of indecent assault against a child between September 1978 and December 1980. The abuse took place in his office at the school, where he would beat the child with a metre stick while masturbating.

The victim was forced to stand bent over a bin with his trousers and underwear down while Desmond ejaculated on his body and wiped it away with tissue.

Desmond, whose former address was Woodlands, Kilrush Road, Ennis, Co Clare, was known as Brother Cornelius during his tenure at St Stephen’s De La Salle National School.

At his sentencing at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court, gardaí revealed that Desmond had previous convictions for offences of a similar nature.

The victim gave an impact statement in court on Thursday, October 29, describing the lifelong impact of the abuse.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he still felt pain when he remembered the abuse.

“I have been through so much counselling in my life. I lost respect for all authority, which set me down paths in life with only darkness in the end,” he said.

The victim used drink and drugs to numb the psychological pain of the abuse, but the memories remained. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he thought frequently about the abuse he had experienced, describing it as “like a dam breaking”.

He confided in a trusted friend and former schoolmate, who encouraged him to report the abuse to An Garda Síochána. The friend told the court he remembered seeing the victim with “big red eyes” outside Desmond’s office.

Detectives attempted to speak to Desmond at his home in Ennis, Co Clare, in July 2024, but he was described as “highly aggressive”.

He was described as standing over one garda with his fists clenched and shouting about “getting weapons”. He vehemently denied the abuse allegations and described the victim as a “source of trouble”.

Previous convictions for child abuse

Detective Garda Finbarr O’Sullivan told the court that Desmond had been convicted of indecent assault against a child aged 12 to 13 between 1984 and 1985. Desmond pleaded guilty and received a suspended three-year sentence.

In 2013, Desmond was found guilty on 13 counts of indecent assault against a child aged between eight and 12, committed between September 1977 and July 1982. He received a two-year prison sentence and was imprisoned in Cork Prison.

Det Garda O’Sullivan confirmed that the abuse occurred within “the school setting”.

Desmond was ordained as a priest in 1989 and served in the Diocese of Killaloe, Co Clare. It was unclear at the time of writing when he was removed from the ministry.

Judge cites breach of trust

Judge Eugene O’Kelly referred to the “egregious” breach of trust committed by Desmond. He cited the sexual abuse carried out under “the guise of physical chastisement” as an aggravating factor.

The judge described Desmond as “brazen” in his abuse, which he said had continued throughout his “entire tenure” as principal.

As Judge O’Kelly delivered his remarks, Desmond muttered “no, no, no” and “that’s not true” from the defendant’s box.

Defence counsel Gareth Hayden referred to Desmond’s advanced age and frail health, saying he was a man “close to the end”.

Desmond received a headline sentence of five years, which was reduced by nine months to four years and three months.

The final year of the sentence was suspended for 12 months.