Former rugby coach abused 23 students over three decades, court told
 Former rugby coach John McClean (73) of Casimir Avenue, Haroldâs Cross, Dublin, leaves the Dublin District Court.
A former rugby coach and teacher at a Dublin private school abused 23 students over three decades, a court has heard.
John McClean (76) abused the boys between 1973 and 1990 while he worked for Terenure College. He left the school in 1996 after certain allegations were made and took up a role coaching rugby with UCD.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the first complaint to gardaĂ in this case was made in 2016.
Last November McClean, of Casimir Avenue, Haroldâs Cross, Dublin pleaded guilty to 27 charges of indecently assaulting the males at Terenure College in Dublin on dates between 1973 and 1990. Further charges are being taken into consideration. He was due to stand trial on the day he entered the pleas.
Paul Murray SC, prosecuting, told the court that McClean was an English teacher at Terenure College between 1966 and 1996. He also held the role of the school's rugby coach and was involved in costume fitting for school plays until around 1979.
Mr Murray said that from the early 1980s, McClean was the first year âform masterâ and had his own office.
Counsel said that certain allegations were made in 1996 at which point McClean left Terenure College.
He said the first complaint was made in 2016, but no prosecution was made at that time. In subsequent years a number of other complainants have come forward and there are now 23 complainants in this case.
Inspector Jason Miley told Mr Murray that the first victim was aged 12 when he was abused on a date in the 1970s. McClean called the boy to the front of the class and pulled him against his legs while his penis was erect.
Inspector Miley said McClean began abusing a second boy began when he was aged 14 in 1974 and the abuse continued until 1976.
McClean, who was the boy's English teacher, detained the boy after class on numerous occasions. After time McClean's hand began to âwanderâ and he groped the boy's genitals.
The boy was later brought to a lecture hall by McClean who told him there was a part in a play for him as a female character and there was a dress he wanted him to try on.
McClean told the boy to take off his clothes, but the boy managed to escape the room while the accused was distracted talking to another man.
A third boy was aged around 13 when he was abused by McClean. The boy had been injured playing in a soccer tournament for the school and was told by his geography teacher that McClean had requested to meet him in a small school room.
McClean asked him how his injury was, told him to take down his trousers and began massaging his leg. During this he brushed his hand against the boy's genital area.
A fourth boy was aged around 15 when he was abused by McClean. His classmates had been playing with a tennis ball which he hid in his trousers when McClean arrived.
McClean told him to leave the tennis ball where it was, then came over to the boy and put his hand first on the tennis ball before moving his hand to the boy's genitals. He then removed the tennis ball and walked away from the boy.
A fifth boy was aged around 13 when he took part in a school play as a female character. He arrived late one day and was putting on his costume on his own in a changing room when McClean came into the room.
McClean pretended to help the boy put on the costume and put his hand down the boy's underwear touching his genitals. He was masturbating himself during this and pulling the boy close.
A sixth boy was around 14 when McClean asked everyone involved in a school play to make themselves available for a costume fitting. The boy was told to strip to his underwear and put on the costume, after which McClean used the opportunity of making adjustments to touch the boy's genitals.
The boy told the principal at the time about the incident and McClean was removed from costume fitting duty. McClean was, however, appointed as first year âform masterâ one or two years after this incident.
A seventh boy was around 14 when he was summoned to McClean's office who told him he wanted to talk about his performance that year. The boy explained that his work had been affected by his home life being difficult and the accused said he understood.
The boy was called back to his office the following day where McClean hugged the boy, touched his backside and touched between his legs. He said the boy needed to be punished the next day.
The following day McClean hit the boy across the boy's bare backside, which he also fondled. He then had the boy stand up and he fondled the boy's genitals, attempting to masturbate him.
An eighth boy was around 12 when he was brought to McClean's office where he was hit on the buttocks by McClean who used several rulers tied together. Afterwards McClean wiped away the boy's tears, embraced him and touched the boy's buttocks.
A ninth boy was around 17 when McClean offered to give him extra tuition after school. The boy was punished every time he got something wrong by being hit with a ruler, initially on the hand, but things progressed until McClean was hitting the boy on his bare backside.
McClean told him that the ârewardâ for getting things right was that the boy could hit him with a ruler, which the victim remembered doing on the man's bare backside. He also remembered McClean rubbing his behind while they were face to face and naked from the waist down.
The victim said he believed he reported the incident in 1996, but Inspector Miley said gardaĂ could not figure out if he had made a statement or not. McClean ceased teaching at the school in 1996 and began working as a rugby coach in UCD.
The sentencing hearing is ongoing and continues before Judge Pauline Codd.
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