A former pupil of Abbey Christian Brothers PS in Newry claimed he was sexually abused in the headmaster’s office then told to “pick a bar of chocolate and go back to class”.
Friday marked the fifth day of a trial concerning Paul Dunleavy (88), who has been charged with - and denies - 37 historical sexual offences which span over a period from 1964 and 1991 and involve former pupils from four schools.
Nine men have accused the former Christian Brother, with an address at Glen Road in Belfast, of abusing them when they were schoolboys.
An ‘achieving best evidence’ interview conducted with a former Abbey pupil was played to the jury at Belfast Crown Court.
Dunleavy is accused of abusing this complainant on dates between July 1988 and July 1991.
In the interview, the complainant claimed he was sexually abused on several occasions by ‘Brother Dunleavy’ which he said took place in Dunleavy’s office, in a storeroom and in the parochial house.
Telling a police officer he believed he was aged around 6, 7 or 8 when the abuse occurred, the complainant spoke of the guilt he carried for many years for not disclosing what happened.
He recalled one incident which he said occurred in Dunleavy’s office.
When asked what happened after the incident came to an end, the complainant said: “He told me to pick a bar of chocolate and told me to go back to class.”
He said: “I can remember being really uncomfortable. I didn’t like it but I didn’t say anything and I don’t know why - but I was afraid. I feel some level of guilt about it.”
The complainant recalled abuse occurring in a storeroom and the parochial house.
He also told police of a second incident in Dunleavy’s office.
During the interview, the complainant said he recalled being sent to Dunleavy’s office “to get a box of chalk or a duster or something like that.”
He also remembered being upset and emotional that day due to a situation at home - and that Dunleavy initially comforted him and told him “it’s going to be okay”.
Following this, the complainant claimed Dunleavy abused him again.
He said the incident felt like it went on “forever...but it was probably only a minute or two” and that as he left Dunleavy’s office to go back to class, “I used my jumper to wipe my tears”.
When asked by the police officer if he told anyone what happened, the complainant said “I never told a soul until very recently. No-one in my life ever knew”.
He explained that after undergoing counselling, he told his wife who urged him to go to the police, which he did in late 2021.
After the interview was played, the complainant was cross-examined by Dunleavy’s barrister Gary McHugh KC.
Telling the complainant that the defendant “denies any wrong-doing against you whatsoever”, Mr McHugh suggested he had invented what he told police.
Mr McHugh also put to the complainant that he contacted police in a bid to claim compensation - but this was rejected by the complainant who replied “compensation is the furthest thing from my mind and its certainly not why I made a report to the police”.
At hearing.