Former school caretaker gets two more years for sexual abuse

This article contains references to sexual abuse involving minors. Reader discretion is advised.

By Sonya McLean

A former school caretaker has been told he will spend another two years in custody for the regular sexual abuse of a teenage boy at a school in the 1990s.

Bernard Browne (67) is currently serving a nine-year jail term for a similar offence after he pleaded guilty in 2021 to nine counts of indecently assaulting three boys on dates between 1983 and 1990. The nine counts were samples charges from an indictment of 44 charges.

Browne of Brighton Road, Foxrock, Dublin was before Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin on Friday he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two sample counts, one of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against another boy in the Dublin school on dates between January 1990 and February 1991.

The court previously heard that all of the sexual abuse followed a similar pattern of Browne using the promise of small amounts of cash to entice the boys into situations where he would sexually molest them.

He would ejaculate while rubbing himself against them and convinced some of the children that he was only doing this to collect his sperm and donate it to childless couples.

Detective Garda Philip Cunningham told Patrick Jackson BL, prosecuting, that the victim contacted gardaí in December 2022 regarding Browne. He said he had been sexually assaulted by the school caretaker as a child.

He said as a child in secondary school Browne used to give him a lift on his motorbike into school. He also began to work in the school yard and was paid 20 or 50 pence for his cleaning work. He described Browne as a friend and said he often had tea and biscuits with him after the work.

Browne then approached him and asked him did he want to earn extra money by donating sperm to a sperm bank. He told the child it was “harmless” and that all he had to do was lie on the floor.

The victim told gardaí he trusted Browne. He said on the first occasion he arrived at Browne’s flat  he was told to lie on his side and Browne got on top of him and dry humped him. Both Browne and the child remained fully clothed throughout.

Browne said he would collect the sperm and put it in a little bag. He told the teenager he would sell it to the sperm bank and he gave the boy money for his role.

Browne told him not to tell anyone as they would not understand what it was about.

He told gardaí that this happened approximately seven times in total when Browne would dry hump the child until he ejaculated. There was one occasion when Browne also kissed the child.

There was also an incident in Browne’s caretaker room when the victim said another boy was present. He felt safe because of the fact that the other child was there but Browne began kissing him and performed oral sex on him. He was in shock.

A victim impact statement was prepared for the case and handed into court but not read out.

Browne has nine previous convictions including a ten year term with the final year suspended by Judge Elma Sheahan in February 2021.

Det Gda Cunningham agreed with Bernard Condon SC, defending, that Browne had a stroke while serving time in prison but has been deemed as “fit to plead” and to instruct his legal team.

Counsel said Browne had difficulties in primary school. He said he was a “social outcast” and that the man cannot read or write.

Imposing sentence, Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain noted the breach of trust, the element of grooming and the age gap between Browne and the boy.

She said Browne also has previous convictions for similar offending and set a global headline sentence of six years.

The judge noted that Browne is already serving a sentence, and having considered the guilty plea and his health issues, she reduced the sentence to two years, taking into account the principles of totality and proportionality.

Judge Ni Chulachain directed that this two-year sentence should run consecutively to the sentence Browne is already serving.

The judge said that this offending had a “profound impact” on the victim,  noting the “immense harm” caused to him by Browne.

She thanked the injured party for his victim impact statement, saying it had been “enormously helpful in giving me an insight” into the effects of Browne’s offending on him.

The judge said the court wished to assure the injured party that his voice had been heard. She asked Det Gda Cunningham to convey to the injured party the court’s hope that “he feels he has retaken control of the narrative and that is of benefit to him” in his healing.