Teacher accused of sex assault on pupil

A teacher has gone on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on charges of sexually assaulting a primary school pupil 40 years ago.

The 62-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault against the boy in a Dublin school while he was aged between seven and 10 years old between July 1966 and June 1970.

The now 49-year-old complainant told prosecuting counsel, Ms Roisin Lacey BL, that to begin with the teacher took his hand and put it on his crotch outside his clothes for a few moments as he sat at his desk.

He said he wore short trousers and the teacher put his hands up the legs of the shorts and fondled him several times over the three years he was the man's pupil in first, second and fourth class.

The man said the teacher also took his hand and put it on his private parts.

He said the incidents left him "stunned and unhappy". He said he did not make a complaint at the time because he "found it difficult to put words on it" and because he otherwise liked his teacher and did not want to complain about him. He said he finally made a complaint to gardaí in 2002.

He said he made his confirmation in April 1970 and the teacher was his sponsor as was then the practice.

The man agreed with defence counsel, Mr Paul McDermott SC, that there had also been positive elements to his experience with the teacher.

He said that he felt returning to the accused man's class after having a different teacher for third class was "a mixed bag", in that he liked the teachers "style" but did not like "what he was doing".

The complainant agreed that each primary school year was divided into several classes and sometimes boys moved between the classes from year to year.

He told Mr McDermott that he could not give specific dates for any of the occasions he was allegedly abused. He said there was no pattern or predictability to the incidents.

He agreed that the entrance door lead straight into the classroom and there would not be any time for the accused man to "undo the damage" if he was abusing the boy when another person walked in.

He denied a suggestion by Mr McDermott that the alleged abuse had never occurred.

The man told Ms Lacey in re-examination that although he could not remember specific dates he was certain that abuse had occurred throughout his time in first, second and third class.

He told Ms Lacey when she asked if he could have moved to a different class that children at the school went into the classes in which they were put.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.