A former teacher at Willow Park primary school in south Dublin will be sentenced next week for the indecent assault of eight boys more than 30 years ago.
The school was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, now the Spiritans. One survivor of the abuse inflicted by Peter Kelly told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that his former teacher had worked for an institution “that tolerated widespread sexual abuse in Willow Park and Blackrock College”.
“Thirty-seven abusers were identified in this, he was a mere cog in a machine of systematic abuse. We as children had no chance.”
Kelly (73), who grew up in Booterstown and taught maths at the school from 1977 until 2004, had pleaded not guilty to 28 counts of indecently assaulting eight boys on various dates in the 1970s and the 1980s at Willow Park primary school.
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He was convicted last month of all 28 counts after a trial before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The jury returned majority verdicts, following more than seven hours of deliberation.
The matter was adjourned for a sentencing hearing before Judge Elma Sheahan, who on Tuesday heard victim impact statements from all eight complainants who were aged between 10 and 13 at the time of the offences.
Having also heard submissions on behalf of barrister John Griffin, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and Andrew Sexton SC, for Kelly, the judge said she had a lot to consider and would pass sentence on December 8th.
Because of different legislation applying in different years to the offences, the maximum penalties are two years in some cases and 10 years in others.
In mitigation submissions, Mr Sexton said his client has spent his entire life around his home in Booterstown and the school, and prison would be difficult for a man of his age. There was no acceptance by Kelly of the jury’s verdict, counsel also said.
A complaint against Kelly was made in 2001 and a decision was made by the DPP not to prosecute, counsel also said.
Six complainants were in court to read their statements while statements from the remaining two were read by Insp Rachel Kilpatrick, who was involved from 2021 in a large scale Garda investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Blackrock College and Willow Park primary school.
Insp Kilpatrick said Kelly had made no admissions during two interviews with gardaí before his being charged with the offences.
A number of complainants referred to Kelly engaging in what was known as the “Muppet Show” in the classroom, in which he would take a boy under his black cloak and, under the guise of tickling them, would run his hands up and down their torsos and buttocks.
Kelly had also pulled some complainants on to his lap and bounced them aggressively up and down in front of the class while pushing his body against their backs.
The judge was also told Kelly had brought some boys to stand in front of the class, stood behind them and took hold of their hands and moved their hands up and down all over their bodies while standing close behind them and pushing his body into theirs. One complainant described this as akin to “a humiliation ritual”.
Many of the offences took place in the classroom but one complainant was assaulted on four occasions by Kelly in a rugby changing room, including being held face down across Kelly’s knee while the teacher slapped his bottom and pushed him up towards his penis. Another complainant was assaulted where gym equipment was stored, involving being made bend over a gym horse and having his buttocks rubbed and slapped.
One complainant had alleged, during an occasion when he was held back at school by Kelly, the teacher had put his hands inside his underpants and digitally penetrated his anus.
All eight statements outlined serious adverse impacts of the abuse by Kelly. Some suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and some spoke of experiencing suicidal ideation.
One complainant said he always had a sense of “danger and dread” around Kelly. Not only had the teacher abused him, he “controlled me mentally”, the man said.
As a result of Kelly’s abuse, he hated everything to do with school, stopped all sports and gave up his goals, he said. In adult life, he could never face situations without severe anger, trauma and anxiety, he said. It was only after he underwent counselling that he saw he never had a chance.
Another complainant said that, as a result of Kelly’s abuse, he did not like it when his father hugged him after he did well at school or sports. He had never had any counselling but intended to when the criminal process was over, the man said.
A third complainant said he spent long periods in psychiatric hospitals due to the abuse and was diagnosed with PTSD. His personal and professional life were very seriously affected, he said.
Another man said he suffered depression, social anxiety and PTSD, as well as trust issues. Only when he began therapy in his 40s had his situation started to improve, he said. Another said he became a “hollow shell of a human” and was unable to cry as a child and into later life, either for himself or others.
He had used alcohol and drugs for a long time in an effort to stop negative thoughts. Insomnia and addiction issues were cited by another survivor who said he contacted gardaí after seeing RTÉ’s Late Late Show address issues about abuse in schools run by the Spiritans.
Another survivor said, when Kelly abused him, he was already vulnerable and broken as a result of “multiple sexual crimes” by another person. He continues to experience serious difficulties daily as a result of the abuse, he said.
Another survivor said he became withdrawn and “dark and brooding” following the abuse and did not speak out because he felt there was an air of “don’t speak, don’t tell”. The “sense of being alone” might sum it up best, he said.
