Boys who accuse teacher of sexual assault deny misinterpreting friendly gestures

Three boys who allege that they were sexually assaulted by a Co Clare teacher have denied during cross-examination at his trial that they "misinterpreted" tactile or friendly gestures made to them by the accused.

The 38-year-old man, who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 18 counts of sexually assaulting the boys, who were aged between 10 and 12 years old, on dates between September 2002 and June 2004.

A now 15-year-old boy told Ms Mary Rose Gearty BL, prosecuting, that the accused man taught him while he was in third class and during that time the accused had stuck his hand down the back of his trousers and inside his pants.

He said he also recalled it happening the next year when he was in fourth class after he received an injury on the football pitch. He said he recalled the man's hands being "cold".

The boy agreed with defence counsel, Ms Isobel Kennedy SC (with Mr Mark Nicholas BL), during cross-examination, that the accused was "tactile" and gave children "pats on the back" and put a hand around their shoulder.

He denied a suggestion by Ms Kennedy that he had misinterpreted these actions

A second boy, also aged 15, told Ms Gearty that the accused had put his hands inside his pants and touched his bum during lessons at the accused man's home. He said this happened "once or twice a lesson" for about two months in April and May 2004.

He denied suggestions that the accused man had patted his back and that he had misinterpreted this.

He agreed with Ms Kennedy that when his parents asked if anything had happened to him after the accused was put on administrative leave from the school in June 2004 he had initially said nothing happened.

He told Ms Gearty during re-examination that the accused man had got cross with him during one lesson and he was afraid of him.

A now 17-year-old boy told Ms Gearty that while he was taking lessons at the accused man's home the man began lifting up his jumper and later put his hands inside his the back of his pants "at the back".

He said this happened in the six months between January and June 2004 and occurred "sometimes twice a lesson".

When asked by Ms Kennedy if the accused was "tactile" he said he recalled the man putting an arm around his shoulder when he was sixth class. He said he had started taking lessons at the man's home in 2002.

He agreed that he had initially denied that the accused had done anything to him at first.

The boy denied a suggestion by Ms Kennedy that he had misinterpreted actions by the accused and nothing inappropriate had happened.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of three women and nine men.