Latest news with #JohnMerrick
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Former Dublin headmaster who indecently assaulted young boy (10) is jailed
'I wish I could let the little boy go free from inside my head but I don't know how to' A former Christian Brother and headmaster who indecently assaulted a young boy over 40 years ago has been jailed. John Merrick (78) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of indecent assault on the then 10-year-old at St Vincent's Primary School, St Philomena's Road, Glasnevin on a date between September 1, 1979 and June 30, 1980. The victim came forward after reading a newspaper report when Merrick was previously sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment on June 11, 2024 for indecent assaults on two complainants on dates between September 1977 and June 1978. John Merrick Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 28th Today, Merrick, of Portmarnock Park, Portmarnock, was given a nine month sentence with the final five months suspended by Judge Pauline Codd. The court heard Merrick joined the order when he was 14 and left in 1982 after meeting his wife the previous year. He worked as a school teacher until 1986 when his first offending came to light and then became a tour guide. Olan Callanan BL, defending, said his client paid his own legal fees which has had 'a financial toll on him'. Detective Garda Philip Cunningham told the court Merrick was a principal or headmaster of St. Vincent's School at the time of the offending. The victim gave a statement in which he said corporal punishment was part of school life at the time and would have been administered by Merrick in his office. The injured party said that Merrick was rubbing his back and opened the buttons on his shirt. Merrick then started to rub the victim's nipples and slid his hand down the back of his trousers and inside his underwear. The victim said Merrick was rubbing his buttock cheeks and kept touching and moved his hand underneath and started fondling his testicles. John Merrick During the time he was fondling him, he was saying 'you are a good boy' . The injured party said it went on a few minutes but stopped when the school secretary came into the office. The injured party said he was crying and upset and did not tell anyone immediately as he was only 10 at the time, but he later told his mother. He said he came forward when he was 55 following a newspaper article he saw in June 2024 where the injured party in that case asking for other victims to come forward. In interview, Merrick confirmed he was headmaster of the school. In relation to the specific conduct, he said he could not really recall but did not deny specifically anything the victim said. He has 21 previous convictions for similar offences of indecent assault, the court heard. A victim impact statement was read to the court by Sarah Connolly BL, prosecuting, in which the injured party said he suffers from flashbacks from being abused as a child. 'This affected me from childhood to adulthood,' the victim said. 'I wish I could let the little boy go free from inside my head but I don't know how to,' he added. In mitigation, Mr Callanan asked the judge to take account of his client's early guilty plea. He said he met his wife in 1981 and left the order in 1982. Counsel said he worked as a teacher until 1986 when the first offending came to light and then worked as a tour guide. Six references were handed into the court including one from his wife who said he has been shunned by his children and his neighbours. Mr Callanan said it was a 'poignant letter' from a lady who had suffered the 'caustic' effect of her husband's actions. Judge Codd noted Merrick went into the order at a very young age. 'I don't hear an expression of remorse,' said Judge Codd. 'How do you vindicate the rights of a victim 40 years later,' asked the judge. Sentencing Merrick, Judge Codd noted he had 21 previous convictions. She noted Merrick entered the Christian Brothers at the age of 14 in a 'much less open society'. The judge noted that apart from these offences there was no other type of criminal behaviour. However she said this is 'serious criminal behaviour' and she said the court heard evidence he was principal of St Vincent's Primary School and the victim was then 10 years old. A single count of indecent assault, which carries a penalty of two years if the commission of the offence was before 1981, the court heard. The judge said the aggravating factors were the breach of trust, and the second was the age disparity. In mitigation she said she took account of his guilty plea and Merrick's background and the effect his offending has had on his own life, in that he is socially ostracised. She also noted Merrick undertook counselling with the Grenada Institute - a treatment centre for those who sexually abused children, which the judge said 'appears to be effective' as he had not offended since. The judge also noted he underwent restorative justice with another complainant in 2017. However the judge said the offending conduct was 'egregious' and warranted a custodial sentence. She gave him a nine-month sentence but suspended the final five months of it.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Ex-Christian Brother and headmaster at Dublin school jailed over indecent assault
A former Christian Brother and headmaster who indecently assaulted a young boy more than 40 years ago has been jailed. John Merrick (78) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of indecent assault on the then 10-year-old at St Vincent's Primary School, St Philomena's Road, Glasnevin on a date between September 1st, 1979 and June 30th, 1980. The victim came forward after reading Merrick was previously sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment on June 11th, 2024 for indecent assaults on two complainants on dates between September 1977 and June 1978. On Monday, Merrick, of Portmarnock Park, Portmarnock, Co Dublin, was given a nine month sentence with the final five months suspended by Judge Pauline Codd. READ MORE The court heard Merrick joined the order when he was 14 and left in 1982 after meeting his wife the previous year. He worked as a schoolteacher until 1986 when his first offending came to light and then became a tour guide. In a statement, the victim said corporal punishment was part of school life at the time and would have been administered by Merrick in his office. The injured party said Merrick was rubbing his back and opened the buttons on his shirt, slid his hand inside his underwear and fondled his testicles. The injured party said it went on a few minutes but stopped when the school secretary came into the office. The victim said he was crying and upset and did not tell anyone immediately as he was only 10 at the time, but later told his mother. He said he came forward when he was 55 following coverage of last year's case in which the injured party asked for other victims to come forward. In interview, Merrick confirmed he was headmaster of the school. In relation to the specific conduct, he said he could not really recall but did not deny specifically anything the victim said. He has 21 previous convictions for similar offences of indecent assault, the court heard. A victim impact statement was read to the court by Sarah Connolly BL, prosecuting, in which the injured party said he suffers from flashbacks from being abused as a child. 'This affected me from childhood to adulthood,' the victim said. 'I wish I could let the little boy go free from inside my head but I don't know how to,' he added. In mitigation, Mr Callanan asked the judge to take account of his client's early guilty plea. Six references were handed into the court including one from his wife, who said he has been shunned by his children and his neighbours. Mr Callanan said it was a 'poignant letter' from a lady who had suffered the 'caustic' effect of her husband's actions. A single count of indecent assault carries a penalty of two years if the commission of the offence was before 1981, the court heard. The judge said aggravating factors were the breach of trust and the age disparity. In mitigation, she said she took account of his guilty plea and Merrick's background and the effect his offending has had on his own life, in that he is socially ostracised. She also noted Merrick undertook counselling with the Grenada Institute – a treatment centre for those who sexually abused children, which the judge said 'appears to be effective' as he had not offended since.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Christian Brother and school principal jailed for indecent assault of child
A former Christian Brother and headmaster who indecently assaulted a young boy over 40 years ago has been jailed. John Merrick (78) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of indecent assault on the then 10-year-old at St Vincent's Primary School, St Philomena's Road, Glasnevin on a date between September 1st, 1979, and June 30th, 1980. Advertisement The victim came forward after reading a newspaper report when Merrick was previously sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment on June 11th, 2024, for indecent assaults on two complainants on dates between September 1977 and June 1978. On Monday, Merrick, of Portmarnock Park, Portmarnock, was given a nine month sentence with the final five months suspended by Judge Pauline Codd. The court heard Merrick joined the order when he was 14 and left in 1982 after meeting his wife the previous year. He worked as a school teacher until 1986 when his first offending came to light and then became a tour guide. Olan Callanan BL, defending, said his client paid his own legal fees which has had 'a financial toll on him'. Advertisement Detective Garda Philip Cunningham told the court Merrick was a principal or headmaster of St. Vincent's School at the time of the offending. The victim gave a statement in which he said corporal punishment was part of school life at the time and would have been administered by Merrick in his office. The injured party said that Merrick was rubbing his back and opened the buttons on his shirt. Merrick then started to rub the victim's nipples and slid his hand down the back of his trousers and inside his underwear. The victim said Merrick was rubbing his buttock cheeks and kept touching and moved his hand underneath and started fondling his testicles. Advertisement During the time he was fondling him, he was saying 'you are a good boy' . The injured party said it went on a few minutes but stopped when the school secretary came into the office. The injured party said he was crying and upset and did not tell anyone immediately as he was only 10 at the time, but he later told his mother. He said he came forward when he was 55 following a newspaper article he saw in June 2024 where the injured party in that case asking for other victims to come forward. In interview, Merrick confirmed he was headmaster of the school. In relation to the specific conduct, he said he could not really recall but did not deny specifically anything the victim said. Advertisement He has 21 previous convictions for similar offences of indecent assault, the court heard. A victim impact statement was read to the court by Sarah Connolly BL, prosecuting, in which the injured party said he suffers from flashbacks from being abused as a child. 'This affected me from childhood to adulthood,' the victim said. 'I wish I could let the little boy go free from inside my head but I don't know how to,' he added. Advertisement In mitigation, Mr Callanan asked the judge to take account of his client's early guilty plea. He said he met his wife in 1981 and left the order in 1982. Counsel said he worked as a teacher until 1986 when the first offending came to light and then worked as a tour guide. Six references were handed into the court including one from his wife who said he has been shunned by his children and his neighbours. Mr Callanan said it was a 'poignant letter' from a lady who had suffered the 'caustic' effect of her husband's actions. Judge Codd noted Merrick went into the order at a very young age. 'I don't hear an expression of remorse,' said Judge Codd. 'How do you vindicate the rights of a victim 40 years later,' asked the judge. Sentencing Merrick, Judge Codd noted he had 21 previous convictions. She noted Merrick entered the Christian Brothers at the age of 14 in a 'much less open society'. The judge noted that apart from these offences there was no other type of criminal behaviour. However she said this is 'serious criminal behaviour' and she said the court heard evidence he was principal of St Vincent's Primary School and the victim was then 10 years old. A single count of indecent assault, which carries a penalty of two years if the commission of the offence was before 1981, the court heard. The judge said the aggravating factors were the breach of trust, and the second was the age disparity. In mitigation she said she took account of his guilty plea and Merrick's background and the effect his offending has had on his own life, in that he is socially ostracised. Ireland Sligo bed and breakfast owner who raped guest fail... Read More She also noted Merrick undertook counselling with the Grenada Institute - a treatment centre for those who sexually abused children, which the judge said 'appears to be effective' as he had not offended since. The judge also noted he underwent restorative justice with another complainant in 2017. However the judge said the offending conduct was 'egregious' and warranted a custodial sentence. She gave him a nine-month sentence but suspended the final five months of it. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help.
Toronto Star
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Tom Cruise's ‘Days of Thunder,' ‘Young Frankenstein' and other revival screenings and film festivals
Revue Cinema 400 Roncesvalles Ave. 'The Elephant Man' (Sat., 3:15 p.m.; Sun., 3:30 p.m.; Weds., 9:30 p.m.) David Lynch's mesmerizing 1980 drama about disfigured Englishman John Merrick (produced by Mel Brooks!) gets the 4K restoration treatment. Filmed in stunning black and white, it was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Carlton Cinema 20 Carlton St. 'Days of Thunder' (Mon., 12:55 p.m., 3:55 p.m., 6:55 p.m., 9:45 p.m.) After seeing the new 'Mission: Impossible,' check out Tom Cruise's 1990 racing spectacular, which will look positively primitive in comparison. The movie is part of Carlton Cinema's bargain $5 series, which also includes 'E.T.,' 'Get Shorty' and 'The Way of the Dragon.' Paradise Theatre 1006 Bloor St. W. 'Young Frankenstein' (Mon., 6 p.m.) Mel Brooks' 1974 classic, starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle, also shot in crisp black and white, screens as part of the Paradise's 'Expect the Worst' tribute to the comedy auteur. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Fox Theatre 2236 Queen St. E. Toronto Horror Film Festival (Thurs., time TBA) This year's highlights include the shorts 'The Sorrow,' 'Scam,' 'The Itch,' 'Cadabra' and the evocatively titled 'Social Media Slaughterhouse.' OCAD University 100 McCaul St., Room 190 Ikigai Youth Film & Art Festival (Fri., 5:30 p.m.) Young Canadian artists explore the Japanese concept of Ikigai — the wisdom behind living a meaningful and fulfilling life — through photography, painting, drawing and short films. Free to attend. TIFF Lightbox 350 King St. W. Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival (Starts Fri.) Now in its 35th year, Inside Out brings together screenings, events and workshops celebrating queer culture. Elena Oxman's drama 'Outerlands' opens the festival on Friday. The closing night gala on May 31 features Allan Deberton's Brazilian musical 'The Best Friend.'
