PATRICK CARTON FROM NEWCASTLE AND NEWRY JAILED FOR ABUSING TEENS IN CO DOWN

In a series of disturbing revelations that have shocked the communities of Newcastle, Newry, and the wider Co Down area, Patrick James Carton, a former mathematics teacher, has been convicted and sentenced for a pattern of sexual abuse involving multiple teenage students over a span of more than two decades.

Carton, aged 78, who previously taught at St Colman’s College in Newry and De La Salle in Downpatrick, was already serving an eight and a half year prison sentence following a trial in March 2018. Despite his denials, a jury found him guilty of abusing five female victims and one male victim during a six-week trial held in Downpatrick. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing history of misconduct, which only came to light after media coverage of his initial conviction prompted additional victims to come forward.

Earlier this year, Carton received an additional three-year sentence, to run concurrently with his existing term, after pleading guilty to abusing two other girls. Most recently, he appeared via videolink from Maghaberry Prison before Judge Geoffrey Miller QC, where he admitted to sexually abusing three more girls, effectively a third set of charges. The court handed down a three-year sentence for these offences, with the term divided equally between imprisonment and license conditions.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Miller emphasized the profound humiliation inflicted upon the victims and described Carton’s actions as “indefensible.” The judge also acknowledged the significant impact on the victims’ lives and condemned Carton’s conduct as a gross betrayal of trust. The court heard that Carton’s offences took place during his time as a private tutor, often in the victims’ homes, where he exploited his position of authority under the guise of providing academic assistance.

From Newcastle’s Ballaghbeg area, Carton’s teaching career included positions at St Colman’s College in Newry and De La Salle in Downpatrick. It was during these tutoring sessions that he engaged in indecent assaults, including those who later came forward following his trial. The court detailed the nature of his misconduct, which involved physical chastisement as a form of discipline, often escalating to humiliating and abusive acts.

Judge Miller outlined the specific cases for which Carton was sentenced, including the abuse of twin girls he tutored in the 1980s before their GCSE exams. The court described how Carton employed a “points or star system” to discipline his pupils, with the severity increasing from written warnings to physical punishment. The most egregious acts involved forcing the girls to remove their pants, bend over his knee, and be smacked on their bare bottoms. These incidents occurred in the presence of each other, causing lasting humiliation.

The third victim, a 17-year-old girl in the mid-1990s, was also physically chastised by Carton, who smacked her on the bottom over her clothes during tutoring sessions. Following these revelations, police arrested Carton in May 2019. During police interviews, he admitted to tutoring the twins and justified the chastisement as a “challenge against them making silly mistakes,” claiming it was done with the consent of the parents. However, his explanations and attitude towards his actions appeared to shift over time, with Judge Miller noting a “significant change” in his perspective.

In mitigation, defense barrister Stephen Toal highlighted Carton’s advanced age, the lengthy time he has already spent in prison, and the remorse he expressed through his guilty pleas. Nonetheless, Judge Miller emphasized the need for a custodial sentence to protect the public and uphold justice, ultimately imposing a three-year term, split evenly between 18 months in prison and 18 months on license.

It is important to note that Carton’s criminal history was extensively detailed in previous proceedings. In March 2018, he was convicted of 28 counts of indecent assault on six victims, with sentences to be served consecutively. The judge at that time described him as a “persistent, predatory, and opportunistic offender” who exploited his position as a respected teacher to abuse vulnerable teenagers. The court also imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and ordered him to remain on the police sex offenders register for life.

Throughout the trial, testimonies from victims painted a harrowing picture of abuse, with descriptions of physical punishment escalating to sexual touching. One male victim recounted how Carton pulled his pants down to smack him during a maths lesson at his home, forcing him to fight him off with his pants around his ankles. Several victims expressed how the abuse had devastated their lives, leaving emotional scars that persisted long after the incidents.

Despite Carton’s claims that the punishments were intended to challenge the students and were done with parental consent, the jury rejected his explanations, recognizing the pattern of exploitation and abuse that characterized his conduct over many years. The court’s verdict and subsequent sentences serve as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding vulnerable young people from those who abuse positions of trust in educational settings and beyond.