Courts / Sligo / Report
Former GAA coach and serial abuser jailed for indecently assaulting boys
Summary
Ronan McCormack, a 75-year-old former GAA coach and farmer from Cloonloo, Co Sligo, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for indecent assaults committed in the 1970s. McCormack had pleaded not guilty to 26 counts of indecent assault of one boy between June 1972 and March 1975, as well as three counts regarding a second boy. A jury convicted him of 14 counts of indecently assaulting two boys aged seven to 13, while acquitting him of 15 other counts. Judge Martin Nolan imposed consecutive sentences of two years and one year on five specific counts, resulting in a total prison sentence of seven years. The judge noted that the maximum penalty for indecent assault of a male in the 1970s was two years, increasing to five years for a second conviction. McCormack was sentenced globally, with all remaining counts taken into consideration. This follows a 2014 conviction where he received a seven-year and ten-month sentence for abusing schoolboys in the 1980s. Victim impact statements described long-term psychological effects, including depression and distrust, with one victim noting McCormack showed no remorse.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Former GAA coach and serial abuser jailed for indecently assaulting boys. Charges or matters: 26 counts of indecent assault of one boy on various locations on dates between June 1972 and March 1975. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 1972 Incident
- March 1975 Incident
- August 1972 Incident
- December 1973 Incident
- 2017-11-10 Publication
Why: He said he feels extremely distrustful of people and of friendship because he believes people might have ulterior motives. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: 26 counts of indecent assault of one boy on various locations on dates between June 1972 and March 1975 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan imposed various sentences of two years and one year on five specific counts and ordered that the sentences run consecutively, giving a total prison sentence of seven years.
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