A Christian Brother who sexually assaulted boys at some of Victoria's most prestigious Catholic schools has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Key points: Brother John Laidlaw sexually abused boys over more than 20 years while he was a teacher at four Catholic schools

Brother John Laidlaw sexually abused boys over more than 20 years while he was a teacher at four Catholic schools He will be eligible for parole in three years and two months

He will be eligible for parole in three years and two months The court heard the church allowed Laidlaw to continue teaching for 20 years despite knowing he had committed a "serious indiscretion"

Brother John Laidlaw, 80, pleaded guilty to assaults on six boys, aged 12 to 17, between 1963 and 1984.

The offending took place while he was a teacher at St Kevin's College in Toorak, Christian Brothers' College St Kilda, Parade College in Bundoora and St Joseph's in Warrnambool.

Laidlaw would often gain access to his victims at sporting events, isolating them in clubrooms, offering to massage injuries and then sexually assaulting them.

In sentencing Laidlaw, Victorian Country Court Judge Peter Berman said the Christian Brother seriously harmed many children in his care.

"They were entitled to trust you, but you breached that trust repeatedly, merely to satisfy your own sexual desires," the judge said.

Judge Berman said the most serious charge related to an attack on a boy when he was alone at home.

"He was in his own home, a place he was entitled to feel safe and secure. He was unwell. You used violence against him," he said.

"Your callous indifference to his suffering is remarkable."

The court heard an internal Catholic Church report in 1973 found Laidlaw was unfit for his job because of a "serious indiscretion", yet the church allowed him to continue teaching for another 20 years.

In that time he sexually assaulted five boys.

"It is a sad reflection on those in authority over you that they allowed this to happen," Judge Berman said.

Despite Laidlaw's guilty plea, the judge found he had failed to fully accept responsibility for his crimes.

"Any suggestion that your pleas of guilty reflect true remorse has to be examined in light of your false denials — first to police and then to the psychologist — of many aspects of your behaviour," the judge said.

The Christian Brothers provincial office has not responded to questions about whether Laidlaw will be removed from the order.

He will be eligible for parole after three years and two months.

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