A primary school teacher who indecently assaulted nine pupils and who was described by a judge as a "determined paedophile" had his 12-year jail sentence reduced to nine years by the Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday.
Lawyers for Patrick Curran (60) had urged a reduction in sentence on the basis that the offences were limited to "fumbling in the classroom", the delay in bringing the case, the absence of previous convictions and his age.
Curran, who taught at St John's National School, Temple Street, Sligo, from July 1966 was found guilty by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury last June of 192 counts of indecently assaulting nine different 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".
The trial heard that Curran systematically searched out boys to sit beside and would fondle their inside legs and genitalia on a "very regular basis". 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 ongoing effects which extended into adulthood. He said they had lost their sense of trust and felt let down by the system.
Curran earlier this week lost his appeal against conviction and the court yesterday heard his appeal against severity of his 12-year sentence.
Delivering the court's decision, Mr Justice Hugh Geoghegan, presiding over the three-judge court, said that while the offences were shocking there were much worse ones such as attempted rape, attempted buggery and oral intercourse. None of those factors occurred in this case.