John Patrick O’Brien jailed for abuse of boys at St Joseph’s College

A man who abused several boys in the dorm of a prestigious Sydney boarding school more than 50 years ago has been sentenced for his crimes.

A former boarding master at St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill has been jailed for historic child sexual abuse.

A former boarding master at St Joseph’s College has been jailed for his abuse of several boys during his time at the school.

John Patrick O’Brien, 81, was in April found guilty of 17 offences against a range of boys between 1968 and 1970.

The offences took place during his time working at the school in Hunters Hill, Sydney.

Judge Warwick Hunt handed down a prison sentence of seven years and nine months when O’Brien faced Lismore District Court by video link from Long Bay Jail on Friday.

O’Brien appeared downcast as the decision was handed down and shook his head at times as Judge Hunt detailed the scope of his offending.

He was found guilty of a total of 18 offences after a trial.

They included 11 counts of committing acts of indecency or attempting to procure acts of indecency and seven counts of indecent assault.

The court heard the first offence of which O’Brien had been convicted unfolded in the first school term of 1968.

A frequent pattern involved O’Brien telling students, aged 14 and 15, who were housed in the dormitory he oversaw, that he needed “help” with a medical issue, including cramps.

Some of the boys were abused after O’Brien called out for “help” after lights out.

St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill.

There were also instances of them being woken to O’Brien standing over their beds, the court heard.

For one of his victims, O’Brien employed a disturbing tool of attaching a string to their finger at night-time so he could wake the boy from inside his own room.

This was after he arranged for the same victim to have his bed moved beside the wall between the dorm and O’Brien’s room.

Another victim was repeatedly summonsed from other parts of the school during the daytime to visit him in the dorm area, where he continued his abuse.

“Each of these victims were vulnerable because they were accommodated in a boarding school away from their parents and under the authority of the offender,” Judge Hunt said.

Judge Hunt found while O’Brien’s earlier offences were spontaneous, it was “undoubtedly the case” that he ultimately sought to manipulate the proximity of students to serve his particular purposes.

He said O’Brien, who maintained his innocence, had expressed good will to the victims but did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or the harm or misery his offending occasioned on the victims.

O’Brien faced Lismore District Court by video link from custody on Friday. Picture: Cathy Adams

The court heard the victims had “eloquently” shared the impact of O’Brien’s behaviour upon them through victim impact statements.

The defence had argued O’Brien’s otherwise good character, including in the years that followed his offending as a teacher and headmaster of other schools, should be considered in his favour.

Although there was no allegation of further offending beyond 1970, Judge Hunt said the fact the offences had not come to light for decades allowed O’Brien to live a life that would otherwise not have been possible.

The court heard O’Brien was in his late 20s and early 30s during the offending at St Joseph’s.

He was later the headmaster of Marist College in Kogarah.

Judge Hunt accepted the prosecution’s argument it was apparent good character that led him to be in a position of trust with his victims.

“He would not have been in a teaching role or entrusted to be the dorm master at St Joseph’s College … if he had not demonstrated good character,” Judge Hunt said.

The court heard O’Brien had not worked in education since 2013.

Judge Hunt said it was a “bitter irony” that more than one of O’Brien’s victims, despite their experiences, also thought highly of their abuser for his “compassion” and skills a s teacher, pastoral carer and sports coach.

He found time in prison would be “far more onerous” on O’Brien than the average person, given his age, health issues and other factors.

He said O’Brien had been subjected to “actual threats” since being placed in custody in April.

But he found only a term of imprisonment was appropriate.

The earliest date O’Brien will be eligible for parole is April 14, 2026.