Liam Coughlan jailed for indecent assault of 19 boys

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Liam Coughlan was jailed for four and a half years for indecently assaulting 19 boys at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 16 October 2023.

Coughlan pleaded guilty to 19 counts involving assaults on boys he taught at a south-east school between 1974 and 1978. His new sentence is to run concurrently with a three-year-and-two-month sentence he is already serving for 30 indecent assaults against five other boys at the same school.

Judge Elma Sheahan said the offending had caused harm and that Coughlan had abused his position of authority as a teacher and Christian Brother. The judge ordered the four-and-a-half-year term to begin on 16 October 2023.