Christian Brothers teacher admits abuse

An elderly man has admitted sexually abusing a schoolboy when he was a Christian Brothers teacher in Kalgoorlie more than 50 years ago.

James Brian Hamilton, 84, pleaded guilty in the District Court of WA via videolink from Melbourne on Thursday to a charge of indecently dealing with a boy aged under 14.

The victim, who was aged 13 at the time of the offence in 1964, complained to police in 1989 but got nowhere.

He then complained to the Christian Brothers and it wasn't until after he told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that Hamilton was charged.

Hamilton originally faced two charges but had one dropped after doing a plea deal with prosecutors.

Judge Andrew Stavrianou granted Hamilton bail but warned him against seeing that decision as an indication of the kind of sentence he would receive, saying a term of immediate imprisonment was a possibility.

Hamilton will face a sentencing hearing on May 4.