70-year-old child molester given jail term

A NOW 70 year-old man who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old autistic boy after enticing him into a laneway in a west of Ireland town with an offer of €25 was sentenced to six years in prison today.  

Judge Rory MacCabe, at the Circuit Criminal Court in Castlebar described the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as “predatory” and “dangerous” after hearing he has served previous jail terms for sexual offences in the U.K.

Imposing the jail term, Judge MacCabe said children were unsafe in the man's presence and he had a serious concern he would re-offend if he remained at large.

The court was told by Garda Orla Browne that the victim was pushing a go-kart with a trailer last April when the accused approached him and offered him €25 to go into a laneway.

While in the lane, Garda Browne told Patrick Reynolds, counsel for the State, the accused touched his genitals and kissed him on the mouth.

Afterwards the boy bought pizza with the money he had been given and brought it home.

His mother became suspicious and after questioning her son about where he had got the money she informed gardai after being told what happened.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the boy's mother said he suffered sleep disturbance and weight loss since the incident and showed aggression and exhibited sexual behaviour both physical and verbal in nature.

The victim's mother also outlined in her statement that her son had been teased and bullied about being a “gayboy” and was beaten up twice since the incident by youngsters in his local community.

The accused has been in custody at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise since April of last year when he was arrested.

His previous convictions for sexual offences date back to 1975 when he was first convicted in the UK for indecent exposure.

Mr. Vincent Heneghan, senior counsel (defending) said the accused first came to the west of Ireland with his wife 10 years ago and had been active with St. Vincent de Paul in his adopted community.

The time already spent in prison by the accused will be taken into consideration when serving the six-year jail sentence.