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Former army officer jailed for rape and abuse of teenage boys

Summary

A former army officer, Timothy O'Sullivan, aged 66, was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting and raping two teenage boys between 1991 and 1996. The victims, aged 13 to 16 at the time, were repeatedly subjected to oral and anal rape, threatened with death or burial in the mountains, and given alcohol that sometimes made them ill. O'Sullivan, who was in his forties during the offences, used his position and the boys' vulnerabilities to groom and abuse them at various locations, including his home, a bathhouse, car parks, pubs and hotel rooms. The judge noted the aggravating factors of grooming, the victims' youth, and the abuse of trust, while also recognising mitigating factors such as the offenders' guilty pleas. The sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Tony Hunt at the Central Criminal Court, following the victims' courageous impact statements and the investigation that began after complaints in 2011 and 2013.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former army officer jailed for rape and abuse of teenage boys. Charges or matters: sexual assault, oral and anal rape of the two boys on dates between 1991 and 1996 at locations in Dublin. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 1991 and 1996 Incident
• 2017-11-27 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

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Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report