Former priest and headmaster handed 10-year sentence for litany of child abuse

A former teacher and school principal convicted of historical child sex abuse has been handed a further 10 years in prison.

Former Christian Brother Paul Dunleavy, 89, with an address in Glen Road, Belfast, was found guilty in September of 36 charges of historical sexual abuse against nine boys.

The charges included indecent assault and gross indecency with or towards a child.

The offences were committed between 1964 and 1991 while Dunleavy worked at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh.

The victims were aged between seven and 14 at the time.

Dunleavy briefly bowed his head in the dock of Belfast Crown Court as sentence was passed on Thursday afternoon.

He is already serving a prison sentence having been convicted previously on two separate occasions of sexual offences against children in his care.

Those two cases involved nine other victims and included 36 other offences, meaning Dunleavy has now been convicted of a total of 72 offences involving 18 victims.

Passing sentence, Crown Court judge Patrick Lynch KC said the prison term would commence at the end of his current sentence in May 2026.

Judge Lynch said Dunleavy, who the court heard has a life expectancy of around four years, felt he could conduct his predatory behaviour with impunity.

“In this case the world would have been in a better place had he not served a lifetime in religious and public service,” he said.

“His teaching career has been littered with the shattered psyches of his victims.

“The church he purports to serve has been vilified because of the actions of this man and his ilk, characterised by loss of religious faith, of trust and desertion in droves by the formerly devout people of this island.”

The judge added: “The court, during the trial, received a graphic picture of the accused as a large, robust man, nothing like the reduced figure now before the court.

“An intimidating figure because of his physical presence, dressed all in black, striding school corridors and rooms, with the double authority of teacher/headmaster and priest.

“A bully confident in his own position, assuming that no one would dare to report his crimes.

“It is a sad reflection of those times that he felt he was able to conduct his predatory behaviour with impunity.”

The judge attributed Dunleavy’s ongoing “persistent denials of guilt” to a “malign stubbornness” to admit to those who still support him, including some members of his family, that he is a “child molester”.

Outside court, the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Public Protection Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher, said she believed there were many more victims of Dunleavy who have yet to come forward.

She revealed that some people have already contacted police with fresh allegations as a result of coverage of the case against Dunleavy.

“He used his trusted position as a respected and influential member of the community to carry out his offending,” she told reporters.

“He abused young boys in school, home and other public spaces. We now know that Dunleavy’s abuse has even involved multiple children within the same family, causing untold, lasting psychological damage.

“Our thoughts today are with the victims that this man preyed on and abused for so many years. It takes huge courage to speak out to break the cycle of abuse. We want to pay tribute to those who worked with our dedicated detectives and remember those who sadly died before they could see justice done.

“There is no doubt that Dunleavy’s victims were let down by those who should have protected them. There is only one place for Dunleavy and that is behind bars. He will die in prison.

“I’m sure the learning of the severity of this offending today will send shockwaves through the country. Since the media ban on reporting was lifted, a number of further victims have come forward and we believe there will be many more who have not yet had the confidence to speak to us.

“Please do not suffer in silence. We will listen to you and we will act. It doesn’t matter when abuse happened, we will still investigate and work to bring abusers before the courts, as we have done today.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Fisher said Dunleavy never thought justice would catch up on him, as she issued a stark warning to other child abusers.

“Regardless of how you think you have got away with it, how long you think that that knock on the door has not come from police, it will come. I am sure,” she said.

“I have no doubt that Dunleavy thought that knock would not come, and it has, on many occasions. And we see justice done today. “