When Catholic priest John Sidney Denham walked through the playground of the NSW school he taught at 35 years ago, boys would call out "bums to the wall, Denham's on the crawl".
The 67-year-old was jailed for almost 20 years on Friday for his "sadistic", indecent and sexual assault of boys as young as five.
Sentencing Denham in the NSW District Court, Judge Helen Syme said the offences often involved "significant planning".
They took place between 1968 and 1986 when Denham worked as a teacher at St Pius X High School at Adamstown near Newcastle, and also at Charlestown and Taree, where he worked as parish assistant priest.
It wasn't until August 2008 that Denham was charged.
He subsequently pleaded guilty, telling a psychologist he admitted to the offences so the victims could avoid the pain of having to testify.
Thirty-nine men claim they were molested by Denham when they were boys, with the offences including multiple counts of indecent assault and also buggery.
In one case, in 1979 at St Pius, a 13-year-old boy was called out of his classroom and taken to Denham's office where he was raped.
He was eventually allowed back to class, with the priest handing him a $10 note as he left.
"The aggravation in this offender's case has been compounded... as he was not only a priest, who was supposed to provide spiritual guidance, a teacher, who was supposed to provide educational guidance, and in some instances, invited into the family to be treated as a family member," Judge Syme said.
She found that many of Denham's victims "lost interest in school, and became alienated from (the) community and the church".
"Many of the men attribute the difficulties they have encountered in later life, such as relationship difficulties, substance misuse and depression directly to the abuse they suffered," she said.
"Feelings of shame, lack of confidence, and lack of ability to concentrate are sadly features of these men's lives - probably as a result of being abused."
Denham was sentenced to serve 19 years and 10 months in prison.
Taking into account time already served, a non-parole term of 13 years and 10 months means he will be eligible for release in June 2022.
Throughout the sentencing, a grey-haired, bespectacled Denham sat with his head bowed in the dock of the court, showing no emotion when his jail term was read out.
Outside court, one of Denham's victims, Matthew Oakley, said he was pleased with the sentence.
"My only hope from the result that we have achieved today is that other abused victims have the strength and courage to come forward and achieve justice," he told reporters.
"Victims of abuse no longer have to hide as there is no shame in this."
The mother of another victim, who cannot be identified, said the Catholic Church should be held accountable for the abuse.
"He was a horrendous man, really horrendous," she said, blaming other staff at the school for allowing the abuse to continue, including the then principal.
"He knew about it... I can't believe I sent my children to a school like that."
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