Tipperary indecent assault trial hears evidence from alleged victim

77 year old Henry Moloney has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault which are alleged to have happened between September 1981 and March 1982 at Rockwell College and in an area close to the complainant's home. 

Under cross examination at Clonmel Circuit Court, the alleged victim said the first time child sexual abuse was mentioned was in 2009 during a meeting with his counsellor.

He hadn’t told his wife by then as he “didn’t know how it would be received,”

The man, who says he was abused several times by 77 year old Henry Moloney during a single school year in the 1980s, was advised by his counsellor to go to the Gardaí after he disclosed details to her

Henry Moloney, with an address at Kimmage Manor in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault offences, 7 of the charges are alleged to have happened at Rockwell College, while the 8th relates to an allegation of indecent assault in an area close to the complainant’s home on December 26 of that school year.

During cross-examination, the complainant was asked if he initiated civil legal proceedings 15 months before he spoke to Gardaí about the allegations – the man told the court that he went to a solicitor and asked him to contact Gardaí on his behalf.

Defence Senior Counsel Patrick Gageby put it to him that, in his civil pleadings, the complainant said that Henry Moloney exposed himself to him and forced him to “perform lewd acts”.

The complainant said this never happened and he didn’t say it did – he told the court that he didn't “perform any acts on him, he performed them on me”.

The trial continues.