A teacher described as a "calculated" and "determined paedophile" who indecently assaulted nine boys whom he taught at a primary school has lost his appeal against his conviction.
Patrick Curran (60), who taught at St John's national school, Temple Street, Sligo, from July 1966, was found guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury last June of 192 counts of indecently assaulting nine boys aged from eight to 12 between September 1966 and June 1984.
He was jailed for 12 years by Judge Michael White, who said the children were "at the mercy of their teacher who cruelly violated them in the basest way".
The judge described Curran as "calculated, deceitful and clever" and "a determined paedophile".
Yesterday, Mr Justice Hugh Geoghegan, presiding at the Court of Criminal Appeal, said the main ground of the appeal was the adequacy of the warning given by the trial judge to the jury about the dangers of delay in sex cases.
The appeal court was satisfied that the trial judge had told the jury that it had to be very careful in considering the evidence.
While there was no set formula as to what the nature of the warning in delay cases should be, the court was satisfied that the trial judge's warning to the jury, while not perhaps perfect, was adequate. On that basis, the court would dismiss the appeal.
The trial had heard that Curran searched out boys to sit beside. He would fondle their inside legs and genitalia on a "very regular basis".
It also heard that Curran denied all allegations when questioned during an investigation which began in 1999. The court was also told that three other teachers from St John's national school had been dealt with by the courts on similar matters, but there was nothing to suggest a "collaboration" between them.
Judge White said it was clear from the victim impact reports that Curran's victims suffered effects which extended into adulthood. They had lost their sense of trust and felt let down by the system.
Curran's appeal against the 12-year sentence will be heard by the court at a later date.