Abuser teacher told boy (13) she'd been sexually assaulted as part of 'grooming', court finds

A secondary school teacher from Donegal Town has had her conviction upheld by the Court of Appeal following a challenge to her trial proceedings. Jacinta McSherry O'Connor, aged 64, was found guilty in October 2023 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of two counts of indecent assault against a male student in 1985. The assaults occurred in the student's home while she was providing grinds; she was 24 at the time and the boy was 13. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy dismissed McSherry O'Connor's appeal, which contended that the jury should not have heard evidence of disclosures she made about her own alleged sexual assault. The court determined that such evidence was relevant to establishing grooming behaviour. McSherry O'Connor was sentenced to three years on each count concurrently, with the final six months suspended.