A former school principal described by a judge as “a sexual predator” who abused young boys in their “formative years” has been jailed for four years.
Patrick Harte (84) was employed a teacher at Sancta Maria Christian Brothers school on Synge Street, Dublin, from 1967 to 2007, latterly as a principal. This fourth set of prosecutions brings to 89 his number of convictions for sexual or indecent assaults of young boys.
After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last December, a jury convicted Harte of 17 counts of indecent or sexual assault committed against boys in various date ranges between 1969 and 1986. Harte, of Glendown Park, Templeogue, Dublin 6, had pleaded not guilty to all charges and continues to deny any offending.
The eight victims in this case brings to 32 the number of boys abused by Harte. Harte does not accept the verdict of the jury and maintains his innocence.
Sentencing Harte, Judge Martina Baxter said that the offences were repetitive and continued in “a brazen fashion”.
She said they occurred in a classroom that had an atmosphere of “physical punishment and fear” and said the young boys were humiliated being abused in public in front of their classmates.
Baxter commended the victims for coming forward and giving evidence during trial, noting that some of them travelled from abroad and others travelled from other areas of Ireland.
She described the victim impact statements provided to the court as “eloquent” and “poignant” and said they were a powerful reminder of how such traumas impact children.
Baxter told counsel that she had received a letter from Harte. She said it was “very inappropriate for a trial judge to be contacted by the accused”. She handed the letter to both prosecuting and defence barristers and said she does not intend to read it.
Baxter said Harte was “in a trusted position” and “he exploited his position to abuse” the children. She said the offences represented a “significant breach of trust”.
Baxter said Harte had shown a “lack of remorse and contrition”.
Baxter said Harte has “no prospect of rehabilitation”.
Baxter imposed various different sentences and ordered that all of those sentences should be concurrent to each other. The effective sentence is a prison term of four years.
David Perry BL, prosecuting, told the court that in around 1978, one of the child victims told another teacher in the school about what Harte was doing and “nothing was done, matters were swept under the carpet”.
This victim later told gardaí that Harte molested him around 40 to 50 times in that academic year when the victim was aged around 11 to 12 and in sixth class.
In his victim impact statement, this man said that the period of sustained abuse affected his long-term mental health and he went on to struggle with alcohol addiction his entire life.
The court heard that in the case of all the victims, Harte would find some reason to call boys up to the teacher’s desk. He would then put his hands down their trousers and into their underwear.
During the trial, Harte gave sworn evidence that none of the matters alleged had ever taken place, the court heard.
