A former principal has been accused of persistently sexually assaulting a student in a Waterford school over 40 years ago.
The elderly man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with nine counts of indecent assault, an archaic legal term which is now known as sexual assault.
He has pleaded not guilty to all counts, and a jury has been empanelled.
The alleged victim of the abuse provided evidence to the jury at Waterford Courthouse last week.
He said that whilst in school, he felt uncomfortable using the older boys’ bathrooms, and would instead choose to use the toilets reserved only for students who were younger than him.
He said that the principal of the school would catch him outside these bathrooms and would bring him into his office to discipline him.
Whilst here, he would have his pants pulled down and would be beaten with a metre stick. He alleges that he would be told to face a wall in the office while the principal masturbated.
The abuse was persistent, the complainant said, and it only stopped when he confronted the principal and called him a child molester.
The case is currently being heard at Waterford Courthouse.
It is ‘in-camera’, and reporting restrictions apply.
