Court archive
Waterford. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
2023-07-10 · Dublin
Paul Hendrick, aged 75, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault on Kenneth Grace between 1980 and 1984 while serving as second‑in‑command and later principal at CBS Westland Row. The abuse began when Grace was 13 and involved repeated physical and sexual misconduct in various school locations, including the furnace room, reception room, and during school trips. Grace was isolated, subjected to verbal abuse, and forced to perform chores. He reported the abuse in 2018, describing lifelong trauma, PTSD, and loss of self‑esteem. Judge Pauline Codd, hearing the case in May, praised Grace's courage and granted a four‑year sentence to Hendrick, suspending the final six months on the condition of continued treatment under probation supervision. Hendrick will be placed on the sex offenders register. The case highlights the enduring impact of historical sexual abuse on survivors.
2023-05-24 · Dublin
Paul Hendrick, a retired school principal and former Christian Brother, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault on Kenneth Grace between 1980 and 1984. The abuse began when Grace was 13, a first‑year student at CBS Westland Row, and continued as he aged, involving repeated sexual and physical misconduct in various school locations, including the furnace room, a reception room at the priest's residence, and during camping trips in Waterford and Tipperary. Grace recalled being forced into wrestling, being restrained, and experiencing sexual contact while in his underwear. He was isolated from classmates and subjected to verbal abuse. Grace's victim impact statement described lasting mental health effects, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. Hendrick, who had no prior convictions, was remanded on bail pending a final hearing scheduled for July 10. The case highlights the prolonged nature of the abuse and its enduring impact on the victim.
2018-02-21 · Dublin
A 17‑year‑old Dublin teenager pleaded guilty to a series of violent offences, including assaulting street magician Mark Beltran, stabbing Waterford resident Gavin Keoghan, and robbing a 16‑year‑old's phone. He also admitted to assaulting a homeless man, Martin Goth, and participating in violent disorder at Smithfield Square. The court heard that the attacks followed the theft of a stolen amp from Beltran's street performance. The teenager was sentenced to three years' detention by Judge Martin Nolan, who noted his early guilty plea, young age and rehabilitation efforts. The sentence was imposed despite the absence of victim impact statements in the cases involving Goth and Keoghan. The judge highlighted the teenager's lack of further offences since the convictions. The case involved co‑accused Luke Byrne, who received nine and a half years' imprisonment for a separate attack and robberies. The court also considered the teenager's drug use and subsequent counselling.