THE TRIAL of a former Marist Brother and teacher at a Sligo school charged with the indecent assault of six of his pupils more than 40 years ago has opened at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The 66-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to a total of 84 charges of indecently assaulting six males, aged between nine and 11 years old, on dates unknown between 1968 and 1977 in a boys’ primary school.
Eanna Mulloy, prosecuting, told the jury in opening the trial that it was the State’s case that there was a cluster of boys who were singled out by the accused to be brought up to his desk at the front of the class.
The case is that these boys were put on his knee for periods of five or 10 minutes or more.
He said there would be evidence that there was sometimes skin-to-skin contact between the faces of these boys and the accused man’s face and they could recall feeling stubble or smelling a certain odour.
Mr Mulloy said some of the boys describe being clasped close and feeling the hand of the accused man moving around the rear of their body or of being groped in their private parts.
He said some spoke of skin-to-skin contact between the hand of the accused man and their genital area.
He said there would be evidence that other boys in the class were instructed to continue with their studies and that they were afraid to look up.
Mr Mulloy said there would be evidence from one individual who, while he was standing in the “dunces’ corner”, saw the accused man “fiddling” with the private parts of one of the alleged victims.
He told the jury they would hear evidence of the accused man’s standing in the school and of his relationships with the families of the alleged victims.
The trial will continues before Judge Frank O’Donnell and a jury.
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(Source: IT)