An award-winning teacher has today been jailed for three-and-a-half years for indecently assaulting six girls, during private tutoring sessions at his home.

Denis Grant, 69, and from Cabin Hill Park, Belfast, showed no emotion as sentence was passed at Belfast Crown Court.

During the trial last month the court was told how the girls, aged between nine and 12 years old, were subjected to "regular and sustained" sexual abuse while being tutored for their 11-plus between 2003 and 2004.

The former Campbell College teacher was also acquitted of 13 charges of indecent assault.

Judge Denise Kennedy said that she had no option but to jail Grant as so many girls had been involved and told him that he had been “disgraced.”

The Judge also said that the children's' parents had entrusted them in his care in the belief that they were safe – and that he abused that trust.

During the hearing, the court was told that one of the victims now suffers from clinical depression while another has developed psychiatric problems.

Grant was ordered to sign the police sex offenders register for life and has been barred from ever working with children again.

After the sentencing, a spokesperson for the families affected by Grant's crimes read out a brief statement.

It said: "Some of the parents and some of the grandparents reckon the sentence speaks for itself.

"The most important thing is that the children have been vindicated and we hope that this will help to protect other children."

(EF/GB)