Courts / Tipperary / Report
'Rot in hell': survivor to 'vile paedophile' Michael Golden after he dies in prison
Summary
Michael Golden, aged 73, of Crosspatrick, Killala, County Mayo, was convicted unanimously by jury at the Central Criminal Court last month of seven counts of indecent assault, four counts of sexual assault, and nine counts of oral rape against four children between 1980 and 1997. The victims were aged between five and fourteen at the time of the offences. Golden had pleaded not guilty to all charges. He died in custody on 6 June 2022 while awaiting sentence. At a hearing where victim impact statements were presented, Justice Mary Ellen Ring noted that had Golden survived, he would have faced a custodial term of significant length. The judge acknowledged the victims' right to be heard and recognised the permanent damage caused by childhood sexual abuse. She expressed that only the victims' willingness to come forward had enabled the investigation and prosecution to proceed.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Rot in hell': survivor to 'vile paedophile' Michael Golden after he dies in prison. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- June 6, 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 1980 and 1997 Incident
- 1994 and 1997 Other
- 2022-06-24 Publication
Why: Ms Justice Ring explained that in the normal course of events she would have heard submissions, and a plea in mitigation from Golden's legal team, as well as looking at reports and letters. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; She noted this could only be of small comfort to them as society had come to understand the permanent damage done to victims of childhood sexual abuse and that they would be dealing with the effects long after the prison sentence.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Golden's house
Topics
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