Courts / Donegal / Report
'Shame on you' - rapist refuses to accept jury verdict
Summary
Seamus O'Hara, a 78-year-old man from Limavady, Derry, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to concurrent terms totalling ten years imprisonment. In March, a jury convicted him of one count of rape and 35 counts of indecent assault of a child, who was aged between six and 12, at his former family home in Donegal between 1976 and 1983. Mr Justice Paul Burns described the conduct as a "prolonged and orchestrated campaign of sexual abuse" involving grooming-type behaviour. During the sentencing, O'Hara turned to the victim and said, "shame on you," remarks the judge dismissed, stating O'Hara was the one who should be ashamed. The judge noted the severe, lasting impact on the victim, including isolation and mental health issues, while acknowledging the delay in the proceedings. In mitigation, the court considered O'Hara's age, health, and work history. O'Hara has previous convictions in Ireland and Northern Ireland for offences including assault, drink driving, and possession of a firearm. His defence counsel, James McGowan SC, stated O'Hara does not accept the verdict and requested to serve his sentence closer to Derry. The matter was finalised with the imposition of the ten-year custodial sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Shame on you' - rapist refuses to accept jury verdict. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- 1976 and 1983 Incident
- 2026-07-08 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; By Fiona Ferguson A predator who refuses to accept his convictions for the rape and indecent assault of a child turned to his victim in court today and told her, shame on you,' before a judge jailed him for ten years. Mr Justice Burns sentenced O'Hara to concurrent sentences totalling ten years imprisonment.
Places mentioned
Topics
Firearms Sexual Offences Stage Sentence Violent Crime
Related court reports
- Court upholds former Defence Force member's conviction for raping fellow soldier
- Lawyers 'concerned' over wait for evidence 20 years on from Denis Donaldson murder
- Ex-garda seeks allowance for services to Irish-language communities
- Sliabh Liag murderers appeal convictions
- Six years for Algerian national who carried out 'violent predatory' sex attack
- Man who abused sisters in 1970s gets anonymity over 'culpable delay' in prosecution
Help us improve this report
Your request is saved for the newsroom's next review. It does not immediately change the published report.
Prefer email? Send a correction request.