Patrick Harte jailed for three years for indecent assault

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

Patrick Harte was jailed for three years for indecently assaulting seven pupils at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 10 July 2020. The offences occurred at Sancta Maria Christian Brothers primary school on Synge Street, Dublin, between September 1968 and September 1970.

Harte was convicted of 11 counts. Judge Martin Nolan imposed two years for one count and one consecutive year for another, while the remaining nine one-year terms were concurrent, producing an effective three-year sentence.

The judge said Harte had been the pupils’ teacher and that the evidence indicated a pattern of misbehaviour. The court had heard that the abuse took place amid severe corporal punishment and verbal abuse.