A retired school teacher who indecently assaulted three of his pupils had his sentence adjourned at Sligo Circuit Court yesterday to January 13th, pending the preparation of a probation officer's report.
The 63-year-old national school teacher was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault against the children, two of whom were aged between eight and 10 at the time.
The third boy was aged between 11 and 12. The offences took place in the schoolroom and at a number of places outside the school between January 1972 and September 1976.
The man taught at the same school from 1958 until his retirement in 1993. The court heard that the teacher kept his victims in school after class where he engaged them in "horse-riding exercises" with a promise of outdoor riding lessons afterwards.
The teacher would place a boy on his lap and put his arms around his victim's waist with his hands touching the boy's genitalia. He would then move his knees up and down between the boys legs in a rocking-horse movement.
The court heard that the teacher also put on swimming togs and asked the boys to do likewise.
Two of the victims gave evidence yesterday.
One of them, now aged 36, told the court that the effects of the man's "cruel and callous exploitation" had "lingered with him to this day and was the most painful experience of my life".
The second victim, now aged 30, said the teacher used his interest in showjumping to lure his victims.