2015-02-11 · Galway
Accountant who sexually assaulted four young girls has sentence reduced on appeal
Liam Brien, 44, was convicted of 22 counts of sexually assaulting four young girls between 1996 and 2006 in Killimor. After a five‑day trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court, he received an eight‑year prison sentence on 17 March 2013. Brien appealed, arguing that the indictment should have been severed and the cases tried separately. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence by three years. The appeal judge noted that the joint trial was appropriate because the abuse involved a systematic pattern of grooming, use of computer games, and repeated sexual contact with the children. The new sentence is six years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on the condition that Brien keeps the peace, behaves well, seeks transfer to Arbour Hill prison, and completes the sexual offenders programme there. Liam Brien pleaded not guilty.