A Belfast man who claimed he was indecently assaulted as a child by former Christian Brother Paul Dunleavy has told a court of the “absolute fear” he felt.
The former pupil of St Aiden’s PS in west Belfast was called to give evidence at a trial which is being held at Belfast Crown Court.
Dunleavy (88), with an address at Glen Road in the city, has been charged with, and denies, 37 historic sexual offences spanning over a period from 1964 and 1991.
It is the Crown’s case that Dunleavy’s offending occurred when he worked as either a teacher or headmaster at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh.
During the third day of the trial, the former St Aiden’s pupil was asked about an alleged indecent assault against him.
The complainant confirmed to Crown barrister Neil Connor KC that he attended the Christian Brothers school from P1 to P7 and said the incident occurred when he was in P4 or P5. He said Brother Dunleavy was his headmaster and recalled a day when he was in his office.
“I remember it lasted a good few seconds or maybe up to a minute or two and then I remember starting to flail my arms, trying to push him away, trying to get away from him. That’s what I remember,” the court heard.
He was then asked if he recalled any other sensation about the incident and he said “fear, absolute fear”.
The complainant was asked by Mr Connor how the incident came to an end, to which he replied: “I was just pushing and flailing my arms that much that I think he just gave up. I wasn’t going to bow down.”
Mr Connor then asked the complainant about a “more recent” event in June 2018 regarding an item he saw on TV.
The complainant said: “Yes, I saw a report about a man who had been arrested for child molestation charges and it was Brother Dunleavy.”
When asked by Mr Connor how he felt when watching the report, the complainant said “just sick...I felt this was my time” and that he reported the matter to the PSNI that month.
Defence barrister Bobbie-Leigh Herdman then addressed the complainant as he sat in the witness box and told him: “I want to make it clear to you that Brother Dunleavy completely denies what you allege against him.”
“He says that nothing like what you described happened in his office or anywhere else.”
Ms Herdman queried the date he claimed the abuse occurred and suggested “the incident couldn’t have happened” because Dunleavy “wasn’t in the school when you were in P4 or P5”.
He replied: “Right, but I mean it did happen. It did. It did happen.”