Reduced Sentence Is an Insult to Victims of Paedo Priest
By Caoimhe Young
ROT in hell are the words I would usually use for paedophiles and this week one pervert had his prison sentence reduced from six to two years. The judge in the case said he was taking the “significant contribution” the convicted man made to his community into account. advertisement Patrick Barry was the principal of a Co. Clare school, the type you’d love your kid to go to because the classes are small and everyone looks out for everyone. This was 30 years ago and it was a two-teacher school. In fact, Barry was so sure of his position of power in Moyasta National School that he indecently assaulted 11 girls there from 1964 to 1985 in front of the whole class. Ancient history? Not if he did it to you. One girl said: “He took advantage of us, he used to grope at us at every opportunity. “I couldn’t credit the man with anything. He terrorised all of us. I can’t remember any happy moment at the school.” He’s now an 81-year-old, but, as a young man of standing, Barry would sit down beside the girls at their desks and touch them. Sometimes he would summon them to the front of the class and make them stand between his legs while pressing against then. On other occasions he made the girls touch him. They were in fifth and sixth year and this was in class. The audacity, the cheek, the horror of horrors for the lives damaged. Patrick Barry was appealing his original sentence this week. The court heard that he had a release date of May 20, 2019. Following his successful sentence appeal he is likely to finish serving his sentence in the spring of next year. I’m sure he cut a lonely figure in court and his last days will be of shame ? a shame that the girls he abused were left feeling for years afterwards. I have no sympathy for this old man. May he never sleep easily. ROT in hell are the words I would usually use for paedophiles and this week one happy pervert had his prison sentence reduced from six to two years. The judge in the case said he was taking the ‘significant contribution’ the convicted man made to his community into account. Patrick Barry was a principal of a Co Clare school, the type you’d love your kid to go to because the classes are small and everyone looks out for everyone. This was 30 years ago and it was a two-teacher school. The novel To School through the Fields comes to mind. In fact Barry was so sure of his position of power in Moyasta National School that he indecently assaulted 11 girls there from 1964 to 1985 in front of the whole class. Ancient history? Not if he did it to you. One girl said: “He took advantage of us, he used to grope at us at every opportunity. “I couldn’t credit the man with anything. He terrorised all of us - I can’t remember any happy moment at the school.” He’s now an 81-year-old but, as a young man of standing, Barry would sit down beside the girls at their desks and touch them. Sometimes he would summon them to the front of the class and make them stand between his legs while pressing against then. Other times he made the girls touch him. They were in fifth and sixth year and this was in class. The audacity, the cheek, the horror of horrors for the lives damaged. Barry was appealing his original sentence this week. The court heard that he had a release date of May 20, 2019. Following his successful sentence appeal he is likely to finish serving his sentence the the spring of next year. I’m sure he cut a lonely figure in court and his last days will be of shame - a shame that the girls he abused were left feeling for years afterwards. I have no sympathy for this old man. May he never sleep easy.
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