A County Clare Priest has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a pupil at a national school in Waterford over 30 years ago.
77 year old Con Desmond- with an address at Woodlands, Kilrush Road in Ennis has been remanded in custody following a five day trial before Waterford Circuit Court.
Con Desmond served as curate in Kilmaley in the 1990’s and was made parish Priest of Killimer-Knockerra in 2001.
He stepped down from active ministry in 2002 following allegations of sexual abuse relating to incidents in the 1970’s and early 1980’s when he was a Christian Brother, known as Brother Cornelius and working as principal of St Stephen’s De La Salle National school in Waterford.
At Waterford Circuit Court this afternoon Con Desmond was found guilty of 13 counts of indecently assaulting a pupil at the school.
The trial heard the boy was abused in the principal’s office on a number of occasions between 1977 and 1980 – when the victim was aged between seven and nine.
He was remanded is custody for sentencing on February 19th.
Bail was refused by Judge Donagh McDonagh based on the serious nature of the offences, and the evidence that Con Desmond previously received a suspended sentence for a similar offence in Waterford.
