Last Updated: 05/12/2006  20:41

Ex-principal pleads guilty to assault

The former principal of one of the biggest primary schools in the southeast of Ireland has pleaded guilty today to six charges of indecent assault.

Con Desmond (71) appeared at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court today accused of indecently assaulting a boy at his school.

Mr Desmond was principal of De La Salle National School in Waterford at the time of the assaults. He later became a priest and was living in Cooraclare, Co Clare at the time of his arrest.

Today in court he pleaded guilty to six charges of indecently assaulting a boy at his principal's office and at another location in the city between January 11 ^th , 1982 and June 24 ^th , 1983.

Sentencing has been put back for two weeks to allow a victim impact statement to be prepared.

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