NSW Catholic brother jailed for sexual abuse

A Catholic brother has been jailed for at least three-and-a-half years for abusing children at a western Sydney school.

NSW Catholic brother jailed for abuse AAP Photo

Martin Harmata, 60, had pleaded guilty to several counts of sexually abusing children in the 1980s at Sydney's Patrician Brothers Blacktown college in Sydney's west.

Harmata had taught at the school for 31 years but was stood down in January 2012 over the charges.

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The charges include the indecent assault of person under 16 under his authority and assault and committing an act on indecency towards a person under 16.

Police said at the time of his arrest that he rubbed one boy on the upper thigh and also made the boy touch his penis.

Court documents show that he received a 25 per cent discount on his sentence for entering an early plea.

His sentence was back dated to July this year and he will be eligible for parole in January 2017.

AAP