A former Christian Brother accused of sexually abusing schoolboys in his care was described as an “evil” man by one alleged victim who said “he ruined my life”, a court has heard.
Paul Dunleavy is standing trial at Belfast Crown Court charged with 37 sexual offences alleged to span over a period from 1964 and 1991, and involving former pupils from four schools.
The 88-year old, from Glen Road in Belfast, denies all the charges.
In a police interview played to the jury, the former Gort na Mona Secondary School pupil claimed he was both physically and sexually abused by Brother Dunleavy in the mid 1980s and, that he was “an evil, evil, evil man”.
The complainant told an officer he initially enjoyed his time at the west Belfast school, but when Brother Dunleavy arrived when he was aged around 13, he was “singled out” and subjected to regular physical and sexual abuse which went on for “months and months.”
“He had me tortured. He was a wicked, wicked man. He was full of anger,” the complainant said.
He also claimed on occasions he was “beaten to a pulp”, and that Dunleavy “ruined my life”.
The complainant was then questioned about his allegations of sexual abuse, which he said occurred in Dunleavy’s office or in the toilets.
Describing what happened to him as “horrible”, the complainant told the officer Dunleavy used to touch him “down below” and would “rub himself against me” and that this occurred regularly.
He said the abuse came to an end when he “stopped going to school”.
Following the playing of the police interview, the complainant was cross-examined by defence barrister Gary McHugh KC, who told the Belfast man his client denied beating or sexually abusing him.
Mr McHugh questioned the allegations he made to the PSNI, suggested he “invented” what he claimed happened, and said his motivation for this was to make a claim for money.
These suggestions were rejected by the complainant.
The jury has already been told that Dunleavy has been convicted on two separate occasions of a series of sexual offences against children in his care at a number of schools where he taught.