Former school principal receives more jail time for indecently assaulting students

By Eimear Dodd and Niamh O'Donoghue

A former school principal jailed for indecently assaulting two students has been told he will spend a further 16 months in prison for indecent assaulting another four boys.

Aidan Clohessy (85) was jailed on Mondays for four years for indecently assaulting two boys in the 1980s.

He was convicted of 19 counts of indecent assault in relation to six boys following two separate trials at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last month.

On Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan imposed sentence in relation to the second trial, in which Clohessy was convicted of five counts of indecently assaulting four boys.

Two of these counts of indecent assault related to one boy, with one count each in relation to the other three boys. All of this offending took place between 1969 and 1986. Clohessy was acquitted of three further counts of indecent assault.

After hearing facts on Monday, Judge Nolan adjourned the case overnight to consider sentence and the defence's submission in relation to the totality principle.

Judge Nolan said the indecent assaults were “undoubtedly very serious” for the injured parties, noting that many of the incidents described were “obviously physical chastisement as well”.

He said the aggravating features included that Clohessy was in a position of trust which he betrayed.

The judge also noted that the injured parties were vulnerable and said Clohessy “took advantage of their vulnerability”.

He said there was some “small mitigation”, including Clohessy's age. Judge Nolan said if this was a standalone trial, and Clohessy was younger, he would impose a sentence of between three and four years.

But, the judge said the court had to take into account the totality principle and that Clohessy is already serving a sentence. He imposed a 16-month sentence, which is to run consecutive to the four year sentence imposed on Monday.

This means Clohessy's has received a global sentence of five years and four months for his offending against the six injured parties.

A member of the Order of St John of God, Clohessy was the principal of St Augustine's School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin from the early 1970s until 1993, when he was appointed to lead a mission in Malawi.

Clohessy, with an address at the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Granada, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, voluntarily returned to Ireland in 2013.

The six boys were all pupils of the school. Some were boarders at the school, which catered for boys with mild to moderate learning disability at that time.

The injured parties were aged between 10 and 13 when Clohessy's offending took place. The abuse primarily took the form of inappropriate touching, the court heard.

In the first trial, Clohessy was convicted of 14 counts of indecent assault - 10 in relation to one boy and four in relation to a second boy on dates between 1983 and 1985.

The court heard that some of the complainants had no objection to being identified.

Mr Clohessy was handed a sentence of four years in relation to the offending against these two injured parties.

Imposing sentence on Monday, Judge Elva Duffy said Clohessy was “living a life full of good deeds during the day”, but was also “an ogre” who carried out “what can only be described as atrocities at night time, when no one could see that behaviour”.

Victim impact statements were read to the court on behalf of all six injured parties during the two separate sentence hearings. They outlined how the abuse affected the men's mental health, relationships, education and later employment opportunities.

In a statement read by his wife to the court, Gerard Quinn addressed Clohessy directly.

“Brother Aidan, I don’t forgive you but I don’t judge you anymore. That responsibility does not belong to me.

“One day, you will stand before the man you chose to serve. One day, you will stand before your maker, and on that day, you will be handed your judgement.”

Another man said he struggled to learn his wedding vows or to read his children a story.

Clohessy denied wrongdoing when interviewed voluntarily by gardaí, but acknowledged that corporal punishment was used in the school, including by him.

He told gardaí this included striking boys on their bare buttocks, but said this was only for the most serious offences and only of those boys who were residents at the school.

The investigating gardaí agreed with Ronan Kennedy SC, defending, that his client was co-operative during the investigation and has been subject to adverse publicity.

Mr Kennedy said Clohessy lives “a humble and quiet existence” and supports other members of the religious community who have significant health issues.

A medical report and two testimonials were handed to the court on Clohessy's behalf.

Mr Kennedy asked the court to take into account his client will find custody more difficult due to his age and health issues.

He submitted that his client would have to live with the stigma of being a sex offender and has already been subject to negative publicity.

“In many respects, he was already condemned and judged in the court of public opinion before he was ever tried in this court,” Mr Kennedy said.