Principal faces school property probe
Saturday December 19 2009
A NATIONAL school principal has failed in his legal bid to stop disciplinary proceedings against him after he claimed he would not get a fair hearing.
John Hand, principal of St Oliver Plunkett's NS Navan Co Meath, asked the High Court to prevent the school manager, Fr Brendan Ludlow, from conducting a hearing into the allegations, including that he had a pre-fab from the school installed at the rear of his home.
It was also alleged he used another prefab as a private pre-school, and that he temporarily transferred pupils from his own school to another so that it would not lose a teacher. He denied the claims.
However, when an investigation was initiated over these matters, he brought High Court proceedings against Fr Ludlow, claiming he would not get a fair hearing by the priest.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Daniel O'Keeffe found Mr Hand had not established any reasonable fear of bias or injustice in relation to the proposed disciplinary hearing.
The judge noted there was a claim of hostility between Mr Hand and Bishop Michael Smith, patron of the school, and with the previous chairman of the board of management, Fr Dwane Gavin. Fr Ludlow shared a house with Fr Gavin and worked for the bishop.
Mr Justice O'Keeffe rejected Mr Hand's claims that Fr Ludlow has been "infected" by hostility towards him from Fr Gavin and from Bishop Smith.
The judge said the fact that Fr Ludlow lived in the same house or had attended a meeting in January 2008 with Fr Gavin, did not debar him from dealing with the matter.
- Tim Healy
Irish Independent
