An 88-year-old former Christian brother and teacher has been jailed for four years for the sexual abuse of eight boys he was teaching in first class in primary school in the 1970s.
The court heard Jack Manning would call each of the boys up to the top of the class and make them read a book that was sitting on his desk. He would then bring a boy in close and sexually abuse them by touching their bottom and genitals inside and outside of their clothing. He would call up the next boy when the first boy had returned to his seat.
Manning, who lives in a nursing home on Dunsink Lane, Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to 14 charges of indecent assault at CBS, Westland Row, Dublin 2, on dates in 1973 and 1974.
The court heard there were 74 charges in total and these pleas were accepted on the basis that they represented sample charges. The men, who were classmates, have indicated they wish to retain their anonymity but are happy for Manning to be named in reporting of the case.
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The maximum penalty for the offence is two years, but a judge has discretion to impose consecutive sentences.
In July 2021, Manning was jailed for three years concerning the indecent assault of four young boys at the same school. He had pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecently assaulting the pupils on dates between 1972 and 1973.
Judge Martin Nolan said Manning took “advantage of his position as a teacher to abuse all eight injured parties on numerous occasions, at least 100 times collectively, if not more”.
The judge said the victim impact statements read to the court indicated Manning’s behaviour had “a huge impact on their lives”.
“They were entitled to be protected in school and they were not protected. There was no place for these children to go to and nobody within the school supervising him so it continued for a long period of time,” added the judge.
He acknowledged Manning pleaded guilty and has given an instruction, through his legal team, that he is remorseful. “And I must accept that,” said the judge.
He also accepted Manning is “too old and incapacitated” now and as such “is no longer a danger to children”.
“He obviously deserves to go to prison,” said the judge, but he needed to consider if Manning should be jailed given his age and infirmity. He said he believed it “would be unjust not to imprison him”.
“He had power of these eight individual children and he abused that power in a most outrageous manner,” said the judge
“He deserves a prison term even at this point in his life and even taking into account his infirmities,” added the judge, before imposing two consecutive two-year prison terms.
“His behaviour was totally outrageous. He had no regard whatsoever for these children and he was only interested in his own perverse behaviour,” said the judge.
He commended Det Garda Tara Power for her work that led to the prosecution.
One of the victim’s statements, read to the court, outlined how he was terrified to go to school and felt “anxious, powerless and vulnerable”. He said his parents insisted he attend, which meant he had to deal with Manning’s “vile and horrific” actions.
He said he did not think anyone would ever believe him and described later mitching school and getting into trouble.
The man said it was not until he read of the other court case that he got the courage to report the abuse.
He left school at the age of 15 without a proper education and finds himself being fanatical about his own children’s safety. He has “a compulsion to be in control” and recalls the abuse almost daily, he said.
