Northern Ireland

Paul Dunleavy: Former Christian Brother jailed for further 10 years over historic sex abuse

The offences were committed between 1964 and 1991

 Paul Dunleavy, the former principal of St Colman's Abbey primary school in Newry, Co Down. Picture by Alan Lewis
 Paul Dunleavy, the former principal of St Colman's Abbey primary school in Newry, Co Down. Picture by Alan Lewis

A former teacher and school principal convicted of historical child sex abuse has been handed a further 10 years in prison.

Former Christian Brother Paul Dunleavy (89) with an address in Glen Road, Belfast, was found guilty in September of 36 charges of historical sexual abuse against nine boys.

The charges included indecent assault and gross indecency with or towards a child.

The offences were committed between 1964 and 1991 while Dunleavy worked at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh. The victims were aged between seven and 14 at the time.

Dunleavy briefly bowed his head in the dock of Belfast Crown Court as sentence was passed on Thursday afternoon.

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He is already serving a prison sentence having been convicted previously on two separate occasions of sexual offences against children in his care.

Passing sentence, Crown Court judge Patrick Lynch KC said the prison term would commence at the end of his current sentence in May 2026.