Former Waterford school principal sentenced to four years for child abuse

A former principal of De La Salle National School in Waterford has been sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment, with the final year suspended, after being found guilty of nine counts of indecent assault on a child.

Con Desmond, 91, was convicted of offences committed between September 1978 and December 1980. The abuse took place in his school office, where the victim was forced to stand bent over a bin while Desmond assaulted him. The court heard the victim’s impact statement on 29 October, describing lasting psychological harm and the use of alcohol and drugs to cope.

Gardaí disclosed that Desmond, formerly known as Brother Cornelius during his tenure at St Stephen’s De La Salle National School, had previous convictions for similar offences. He was previously sentenced to a suspended three‑year term for indecent assault on a 12‑ to 13‑year‑old in 1984‑85, and to two years for 13 counts of indecent assault on children aged eight to twelve in 2013.

Detective Garda Finbarr O’Sullivan testified that attempts to interview Desmond at his Ennis, Co Clare home in July 2024 were met with aggression. The judge, Eugene O’Kelly, described the abuse as an “egregious breach of trust” and highlighted the “guise of physical chastisement” as an aggravating factor. Desmond, who was ordained a priest in 1989, denied the allegations throughout the hearing.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: SHOX ART / Pexels.