A MAN who alleges he was sexually abused by a De La Salle brother at an institution for young offenders has told a jury that on his release aged 14, he became involved in prostitution because he went “bananas about sex”.
The now 36-year-old man told Éanna Mulloy SC, prosecuting, that he “blanked” the alleged abuse during the 1980s out of his mind.
The 56-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to indecent assault, buggery and gross indecency against the then 12-year-old boy at the children’s institution between March 1st, 1985, and September 2nd, 1986.
The alleged victim said when he left the institution he got into a “horrible situation of male prostitution” in public toilets, which lasted about two or three years until he met his former partner and they had children.
Mr Mulloy, in opening the case, told the jury that when the Brother was interviewed by gardaí, he said he was “devastated” by the allegations.
The alleged victim said he came from a difficult background and did not get on well at primary school. He used to “mitch” and avoided spending time at home and became involved in petty crime.
The man told Mr Mulloy he was sent to the institution by the Children’s Court in September 1984 following a short period of assessment at another centre. He was initially sent there for one year but was kept on for another year and released in 1986.
He said that the first number of months at the centre passed without incident but one evening during the summer holidays the Brother came into his room and they started playing “noughts and crosses” on a copybook placed over the accused’s crotch.
The man said later that night the Brother came back and brought him down to his bedroom where the accused touched his crotch and encouraged him to do the same in return. He said it continued for five minutes and he then returned to his room feeling “horrible” after the Brother told him no one would find out.
The man said he ran away from the institution following an alleged beating from the accused, which occurred after he had urinated on another boy’s head in retaliation for an earlier skirmish.
He was brought back to the centre after about a week and a half when caught stealing.
The man said on one occasion the boys were brought out on a trip in a minibus and on their return he was brought by the Brother to his room. He alleged the accused asked him to perform oral sex on him and attempted to bugger him but stopped when he said it hurt.
He said he got into some further trouble with the law as a teenager on his release and spent time in other institutions, but since his children were born he had not got into any trouble.
The trial continues.