Courts / Ireland / Report
Man convicted of abuse in 1970s brings appeal
Summary
A man convicted of sexually abusing a child in County Mayo during the 1970s has appealed his conviction at the Court of Appeal. The defendant was found guilty in October 2018 by majority verdict on five counts of indecent assault alleged to have occurred between May and August 1978. He received a sentence of eight years and nine months, with the final 21 months suspended, in February 2019. The appeal centres on grounds of substantial delay in prosecution and its impact on fair trial rights. Defence counsel argued that the complainant's delay in reporting and gardaí's delay in charging the defendant, combined with the deaths of potential defence witnesses, prejudiced the accused's ability to mount a proper defence. The Director of Public Prosecutions submitted that a delay warning was appropriately issued at trial and that corroborative evidence was heard. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, reserved judgment and indicated a decision would be delivered as soon as possible.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man convicted of abuse in 1970s brings appeal. Charges or matters: five counts of indecent assault between May 1 and August 31 1978 at an address in Co. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- May 1 Incident
- August 31 1978 Incident
- October 4, 2018 Incident
- February 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-04-29 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: five counts of indecent assault between May 1 and August 31 1978 at an address in Co (Proven)
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; A man who was jailed for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in the 1970s has brought an appeal against his conviction. The man, who had denied the charges, was sentenced to eight years and nine months, with the final 21 months suspended, by Judge Rory McCabe in February 2019.
Places mentioned
- Mayo Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request