A former teacher who was convicted of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy almost 40 years ago does not accept the verdict, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Jacinta McSherry O'Connor, with an address at The Mullins, Donegal town, had pleaded not guilty to two offences of indecent assault on the boy while she was giving him grinds in 1985.
She was 24 years old at the time and worked as a student teacher at a Dublin secondary school.
She denied sexually assaulting the 13-year-old boy on two occasions in his home, where she had been giving him grinds in 1985, but a jury convicted her on two counts last month by a majority verdict.
Today the court heard that the now 63-year-old woman does not accept the verdict.
The victim, now in his 50s, described McSherry O'Connor as like "a spectre hanging over me my whole life". He said he became an introverted and rebellious teenage, "a shattered teenager".
"I thought for a time I was in adult conversations, having sexual relations with an adult," he said in his victim impact statement which he read to the court.
"I was only a child and not able to handle it. Something was very wrong, it's deeply and morally wrong."
He also said "she took my innocence away, groomed me", and that he had "nightmares about her" and "tore up every photo of her".
"It affected my relationships," he said, "The truth was close to never coming out. I'm glad I spoke up and perhaps it will give other victims strength."
McSherry O'Connor's defence counsel described it as a "quite unusual" case with "significant publicity".
He said she lives in a rural area and has suffered significantly.
He told the court that she was also the victim of quite a serious sexual assault when she was a young trainee teacher.
She did not make a complaint to the gardaí but the perpetrator was a senior teacher who has since been convicted of another sexual assault.
A booklet of almost 40 references and testimonials from current, former or retired teachers who know her, and find it hard to reconcile the verdict with the person they know, was handed in to the judge.
McSherry O'Connor had set up a language school in Donegal which is now closed and lost her job with a school in London following her conviction.
The maximum sentence for each offence is two years in prison.
Judge Elma Sheehan remanded McSherry O'Connor on continuing bail following a defence request for her to be allowed to finalise arrangements.
The judge said she will finalise sentencing in January.
