A court has heard how a former Christian Brother sexually abused boys as young as ten as they sat in class.
The horrific details of the sex assaults on the young boys at a national school in the midlands were revealed to Mullingar Circuit Court sitting in Tullamore.
The man in question Thomas McCarry, 66,(man center of pic in opened neck blue shirt) of Clareville, Finglas Road, Glasnevin in Dublin has admitted a series of sample charges of indecently assaulting four boys at the school between the years of 1984 and 1987.
The assaults are understood to have came to light in 2010 when one of Bro McCarry’s victims made a statement. The others later made statements, the latest of which was made in March of last year. The shocking assaults all took place whilst the boys were aged 10-11 attending fifth and sixth class in the national school.
Each of the victims told the court of how McCarry would approach them from behind and lean over as if to help with their schoolwork.
Instead, he pulled up the jumper and shirt of his victim and rubbed either their lower stomach or flicked their nipples in a sexual way. In some instances, McCarry would put his hand inside the young boys trousers and felt their private parts.
The victims also told the court that they were either frozen by fear or else tried to squirm and wriggle away from him. One former pupil told the court of how he had tried to tighten his belt to the limit to try to stop McCarry from putting his hand inside his trousers.
One of the pupils said that McCarry would threaten him saying: “I’ll frighten the life out of you,” as he began to assault him.
The victim went onto say that: “He was was afraid of him.” It is believed that none of the victims told either their family or friends what was happening because of fear of being blamed themselves.
In Victim Impact Statements released to the court the victims told of how the abuse had greatly impacted on their lives.
One of the victims statement had said he only ever wanted to play football and had been captain of teams at a young age, but had given up the game because Bro McCarry was in charge of under-age teams. He had never realised his potential and became withdrawn, not knowing who to trust. The “secret” had eaten away at him for 25 years, he said.
He was bitter about what he called “the Church’s sheer hypocrisy and cover-up” and felt his life had been blighted.
His wife was the only person who knew what had happened to him.
In another statement read to the court the victim told of how he attempted to take his own life at age young age of 18. The victim then tried end his life within the last month (September). In a Statement sent from a psychiatric ward. The victim said: “I tried my best to fight the shame depression, fear, anger.”
Another victim went onto the witness box to read his statement in person. He told the court he was still receiving psychotherapy treatment. He said he had: “Totally trusted Bro McCarry and looked up to him.” At age 12 he had pleaded with his family to be allowed to go to boarding school.
Breaking down, he told of having to walk into shops at times when he feared someone was behind him on a street. He had trouble forming relationships and suffered from insecurity and paranoia.
Barrister for the defence Phillip Rahn has said McCarry had deep shame and sorrow for his victims. He had undergone 15 years of psychotherapy treatment and was described as a troubled, fragile man who was remorseful. He also said McCarry was now living in a very structured environment, was not allowed to have public ministry, was never to be alone with children and was constantly monitored. McCarry had also signed up to join the Christian Brothers at 14 and had “significant emotional, sexual deficits”.
Judge Tony Hunt told the court that the offences “had horrendous consequences”, and he has adjourned sentencing to later this month.