A FORMER rugby coach and teacher has been charged with more than 40 more counts of indecently assaulting boys at a south Dublin school.

John McClean (73) appeared in court on multiple new charges of assaulting schoolboys at Terenure College in the 1970s and 80s.

He was granted bail and his case was adjourned for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Mr McClean, with an address at Casimir Avenue, Harold’s Cross, had already been charged and sent for trial on 35 counts of assaulting nine boys at the school over a 17 year period between 1973 and 1989.

He is now facing trial on 43 further charges of indecently assaulting four boys between 1975 and 1982.

Some 39 of the offences relate to one alleged vicitm, while he is alleged to have assaulted a second boy twice, and two more boys once each.

The charges are contrary to Common Law and the assaults are alleged to have happened at the school on dates in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1982.

At Dublin District Court, Garda Inspector Jason Miley told Judge Geraldine Carthy he arrested the accused at his home at 9.05am on Tuesday and brought him to Terenure Garda Station, where he was charged at 10.30am.

He made no reply to any of the charges after caution and was handed copies of the charge sheets, he said.

The court heard gardai were consenting to bail, which had been agreed on with the defence.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed trial on indictment on all charges, Insp Miley said.

Judge Carthy granted bail in the accused’s own bond of €500, with no cash lodgement required.

Conditions are that he signs on weekly at his local garda station and has no contact directly or indirectly with any of the alleged victims or witnesses in the case.

He is also to surrender his passport within 48 hours, but this can be returned for travel to visit family members in the UK, the court heard.

The accused, wearing a dark suit and open-necked striped blue shirt was not required to address the court during the brief proceedings.

His solicitor Dara Robinson consented to the adjournment and the accused was remanded on bail to appear in court again on a date in July.

Mr McClean, an English and drama teacher who also coached rugby, worked at prestigious Terenure College for decades before taking up a rugby coaching position in UCD in the 1990s.

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