Courts / Mayo / Report
Elderly abuser has sentence cut on appeal
Summary
A 78-year-old American resident has had his prison sentence reduced following a successful appeal at the Court of Appeal in Dublin. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to sexual assault, possession of child pornography, and attempted buggery of a minor between 2000 and 2005. He was originally sentenced to eight-and-a-half years imprisonment in June 2016. The Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to five years, finding that the sentencing judge had insufficiently considered his age and serious medical conditions, which render him largely wheelchair dependent. Mr Justice Alan Mahon stated that while the offences were very serious and involved grooming and abuse of a teenager, courts must give appropriate consideration to the health difficulties of elderly offenders. The three-judge court determined that without these mitigating factors, a sentence of approximately eight years would have been imposed.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Elderly abuser has sentence cut on appeal. Charges or matters: two counts of sexual assault, two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of attempted buggery of a person under the age of 17 at various locations on dates between 2000 and 2005; the sentencing judge, while the jury were waiting in their room. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 14, 2016 Incident
- 2000 and 2005 Incident
- 2017-06-19 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: two counts of sexual assault, two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of attempted buggery of a person under the age of 17 at various locations on dates between 2000 and 2005; the sentencing judge, while the jury were waiting in their room (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: A wheelchair dependent man, jailed for sexually abusing a teenager whose family he visited from America over several summers, has had his prison sentence cut on appeal. He was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years imprisonment by Judge Rory McCabe on June 14, 2016.
Places mentioned
- Castlebar
- Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
Related court reports
- Defilement conviction quashed as court finds judge 'crossed a line'
- Man admits Mayo claw hammer attack
- West of Ireland couple sentenced after children found living in squalor
- 'I hold no ill will': Daughter of Mayo woman killed by truck addresses driver
- Mayo jury returns insanity verdict in telecoms damage case
- Co Mayo man on trial charged with spate of telecom vandalism offences
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request