A former teacher who watched teenage boys being beaten with a whip before sexually abusing them has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

Mario Bugeja, 45, from Qala had been accused of abusing four boys but three of them withdrew complaints against him, placing the blame instead on another former teacher, Martin Cefai, as the one who “ruined” their lives.

Mr Cefai is currently appealing against a custodial sentence.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said she handed down a near-maximum jail term because Mr Bugeja had taken advantage of teenagers who needed direction in life, and their vulnerability had been abused.

The shocking details of what happened to the boys in 2003 and earlier, based on their testimony, were revealed in her judgment.

Mr Bugeja had met them on internet chatting sites through Mr Cefai who had got to know them at the school where he worked.

The victims, who cannot be named by court order, described being tied to a bed, whipped, having their stomachs pushed in and Mr Bugeja engaging in sexual acts with them following the abuse.

One of them testified that he was in Form 2 or 3 when he met Mr Bugeja. He went to watch a film with him, Mr Cefai and another man named Daniel Buttigieg.

On one occasion he agreed that Mr Bugeja would pick him up and they would go and have a pizza but instead they ended up at a house in Fgura.

He was tied to a bed, stripped to his underwear and Mr Cefai began hitting him in the stomach with a mallet. He was hit some 30 times before being sexually abused.

In their investigation the police discovered that the two would discuss between them their sexual escapades with the teenagers.

They also found pictures of children in sexual poses in Mr Bugeja’s possession, downloaded from a website administered by Mr Cefai.

In his own testimony, Mr Bugeja said he had been abused by Mr Cefai, 15 years his senior, at the age of 14. The abuse stopped when he embarked on studies for the priesthood (which he did not complete).

Mr Cefai came back into his life when he was 31 after they met on the internet and he found out that Mr Cefai had brought Russian children over to stay in Gozo.

Mr Bugeja said that he wanted to help these children out and they could also have been abused by Mr Cefai.

The Maltese boys had given the impression that they also wanted to do these things but he had always followed Mr Cefai’s instructions, he told the court.

He said he only realised the detrimental effect the sexual activity had on the boys when he began therapy. He admitted he knew their age when he had relationships with them.

Despite three of the victims withdrawing their complaint against Mr Bugeja, the magistrate could by law still find him guilty of abusing two of the boys because it took place in his car in a public place.