Courts / Dublin / Report
Identity of serial abuser Christian Brother can now be reported
Summary
Martin O'Flaherty, aged 73, was convicted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of 14 counts of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against seven boys who were his pupils between 1978 and 1981. He had previously been tried five times since 2022 and had 103 convictions for indecent assault of 22 other boys. He is serving an effective sentence of eight years, two months and three weeks, with an earliest release in August 2028. Reporting restrictions were lifted as no further matters are pending. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a global five‑year sentence for the seven victims in this case, bringing his total convictions to 29 boys. The court heard that O'Flaherty denied the allegations, cooperated with the investigation, and does not intend to appeal. The judge noted his age, health, and past service as mitigating factors but also cited the seriousness of the offences and the breach of trust as aggravating factors.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Identity of serial abuser Christian Brother can now be reported. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- August 2028 Incident
- 1978 and 1981 Incident
- 1976 and 1981 Other
- 2025-04-07 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Having heard the evidence, Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a global five-year sentence in respect of O'Flaherty's offending against the seven injured parties in this case from the date of his conviction last month. She outlined individual sentences in respect of each count on the indictment, which included some consecutive elements, then having considered the principles of proportionality and totality, imposed a global sentence of five years.
Places mentioned
- Rosmeen Gardens
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Mountjoy
- Mountjoy Prison
Topics
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