Former Seminarian has jail term increased for repeated rape of young cousin

The Court of Appeal has increased the prison sentence of a former seminarian from five to seven years following a determination that his original term was unduly lenient. Aidan Gallagher, aged 41, of Dadreen, Killadoon, Westport, County Mayo, was convicted by jury in May 2023 of six counts of oral rape of his cousin committed between 1998 and 2003. The trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy concluded that the sentencing judge had made an error in principle by treating all offences as having been committed while Gallagher was a minor. The court found that one count involved conduct perpetrated when the defendant was 19 years old, a material distinction that ought to have attracted a different sentencing approach. The revised sentence imposed by the appeal court stands at seven years on each count, to run concurrently. The complainant, who chose to waive her right to anonymity, enabled public identification of her cousin through media reporting. Her decision allowed the full circumstances of the case to be disclosed. Gallagher maintained his not guilty pleas throughout both trials before conviction was returned. He has no prior criminal record and was in seminary formation at the time of his prosecution, with ordination anticipated had the convictions not intervened. The case involved abuse that occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A co-accused brother, Thomas Gallagher, received a separate custodial sentence in October 2023 following conviction on rape and sexual assault charges relating to the same complainant. The original sentencing hearing in 2023 heard evidence regarding the lasting impact of the abuse on the victim, including its effects on her mental health and wellbeing.