A former spiritual director of Gormanston College, Co Meath, who sexually abused four pupils there some 30 years ago, has been given a five-year suspended sentence by Judge Desmond Hogan at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Franciscan priest Fr Ronald Bennett (71), Dún Mhuire, Seafield Road, Killiney, Co Dublin, who was also sports master at Gormanston College, pleaded guilty yesterday to six sample charges of indecent assault from 1974-1981.
Judge Desmond Hogan said Bennett had perpetrated a serious breach of trust on the injured parties, on their parents and on his order. The offences were extremely serious but he had to consider some mitigating features.
He highlighted Bennett's early plea of guilty and said that the State was spared a lengthy trial and the injured parties were spared from having to give evidence.
He pointed out that the Granada Institute, where Bennett has been receiving treatment, considered him at low risk of reoffending.
He also said the offences had happened 20 years ago and there had been no recurrence since and that "by virtue of the vigilance his order is showing" and the code of practice with which he is complying, "the court should not impose a custodial sentence".
Judge Hogan imposed the suspended sentence on Bennett's bond for €1,000.
Bennett took the stand and promised to adhere to the code of practice laid down for him by his order and comply with the conditions designated by the Granada Institute.
A further stipulation authorises investigating gardaí to inquire from time to time as to his compliance with the condition of the bond.
Bennett was ordained in 1961 and appointed to the college as spiritual adviser and sports master in 1963. He became bursar also in 1969 and became involved in the Irish Schools Swimming Association in 1974. He began his counselling at the Granada Institute in 1999.
Niall Muldoon, senior clinical psychologist at the Granada Institute, had earlier said that Bennett had undergone "considerable therapy" there.
Mr Muldoon told Hugh Hartnett SC (with Pádraig Dwyer BL), defending, that when appointed in 1963, Bennett was "ill-equipped for the position of spiritual director" and dealing with sex education matters.
This was because he could not distinguish the boundaries in relation to his own sexuality.
He had grown up as an only child in a very sheltered atmosphere and was very immature regarding sexual matters when he went to secondary school and then joined the seminary.
Mr Muldoon said Bennett would have considered himself to be "a very upright man" and didn't see any consequences arising when abusing the victims.
However when he read in the 1980s of the damage done by this activity, he became "very much aware" of the harm he had done and was very remorseful.
Sgt Margaret Murrell told Karen O'Connor, prosecuting, that an investigation was launched in 1999 after one of the victims complained to gardaí of being sexually assaulted at Gormanston College while a boarder there from 1974.
Other victims told of getting sweets from Bennett after being abused and being told by him not to tell anyone about what happened. Most of the abuse happened in his office but it had occurred at least once in the sports shop.