Victim has 'great comfort' knowing abuser to die in prison

A victim of Paul Dunleavy has said it brings him "great comfort" that the Christian Brother and former school principal will die in prison.

Brian Ellison said he was abused by Dunleavy over a six to eight-week period in primary school. He was aged 10 at the time.

Dunleavy, with an address at Glen Road in Belfast, was sentenced on Thursday to a further 10 years in jail for historical child sex abuse.

He was found guilty of 36 charges against former pupils in September.

The offences were committed on dates between 1964 and 1991 while the 89-year-old worked at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh.

He is already serving a prison sentence having been previously convicted on two separate occasions of sexual offences against children in his care.

He will begin serving his latest sentence in May 2026 when his current sentence ends.

In total, he has been convicted of 72 counts involving 18 victims across three trials.

Dunleavy is still a Christian Brother despite his convictions.

Mr Ellison told BBC News NI the abuse towards him took part in different locations within the primary school building.

He said Dunleavy "tricked" his mother into having him stay behind at school for extra tuition.

Mr Ellison was involved in the first trial against Dunleavy. He is only this week waiving his anonymity.

Going through the trial had a “massive” impact on him.

"I went into my shell I broke down, I literally broke down," he said.

Speaking about the impact the abuse has had on him, Mr Ellison said: "I spiralled downhill from looking forward to a good career, family, everything else.

"It cost me marriage."

Mr Ellison says the "full scale" of Dunleavy's offending "has not been brought to light".

"A small scale of his offending has actually been brought to light."

"I believe there are numerous victims out there," Mr Ellison said.

He has called on those victims to come forward.

Mr Ellison also wants an inquiry into the abuse to take place.

When asked if Thursday's sentencing has brought a sense of closure, Mr Ellison said: "It has given us a degree of satisfaction that a judge actually stood up to him and actually did not give him leniency because he got remission on each of his other trials because of his age.

"This time around, he got nothing.

To know he will die in prison is a great comfort."