A former deputy principal found guilty of sexually assaulting two pupils at the Rotorua primary he taught at has been sentenced to four years and three months in jail.

Former Selwyn Primary deputy principal Glen Rohan Lovatt, 47, appeared for sentencing in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.

He was found guilty by a jury last month of two charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and three charges of doing an indecent act.

One of the charges of doing an indecent act was a representative charge which means the offending occurred more than once.

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Judge Chris McGuire said the charges relate to offending against two pupils between 1995 and 1999.

The offending came to light 10 years later when one of the victims had a "bad night" on the alcohol and told his partner what happened to him in school.

The second victim attempted to raise it with the school 10 years after the incident but didn't follow through with it. Both complaints were investigated by police. The victims did not know each other.

Judge McGuire said one of the victims still didn't trust people. The victim had done his best not to think about what happened but seeing Lovatt in court during the trial was difficult as it brought up a lot of unhappy memories.

The other victim said he tried to avoid Lovatt after what he had done to him and it was difficult going to school. The victim said he did not think he could tell anyone as he did not think anyone would believe him as he was a child with behavioural issues and Lovatt was a respected teacher.

"Over the years I've had flashbacks. It makes me angry and it makes me sick," the victim said in his victim impact statement.

Judge McGuire said while Lovatt was in "complete denial" the information he had read "could not have been dreamt up".

Lovatt's actions were a "gross breach of trust".