A violin teacher has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting four primary school girls.
Brian Bergin (60), from Brookhill in the Culmore area of Derry, had denied all eight charges. The crimes had allegedly been committed in two primary schools in the city between August 2011 and May 2014.
The defendant was accused of committing a sexual act and breaching a position of trust by indecently touching the girls. Following a six-day trial, a jury took less than two hours today to find him not guilty.
Earlier in the trial, the court heard allegations that Mr Bergin had touched the girls inappropriately and told them to do the splits during violin classes.
Mr Bergin, who was employed as a music teacher by the Western Education And Library Board for the last thirty years, was suspended from his post four years ago after the allegations were made against him.
In his evidence to the jury, he repeated: "It did not happen, it did not happen".
He said he was a married man with three children aged 24, 21 and 18.
Mr Bergin showed no emotion as the jury foreman told Judge Philip Babington that they found the defendant unanimously not guilty of the eight charges.
Members of the four complainants' families, several of whom had given evidence during the trial, were in court to hear the not guilty verdicts.
Judge Babington told the jurors that such cases were very difficult. He then announced that Mr Bergin could be released. Following his acquittal, Mr Bergin declined to comment to the media.
