Courts / Louth / Report
Man groomed, raped and abused girl in 'massive breach of trust'
Summary
Richard Morrissey (45) was convicted by a jury of six counts of sexual assault against a girl who was aged seven to fourteen when the abuse occurred between 1996 and 2003 in Louth. The jury could not agree on all counts, so a second trial was held earlier this year, where he was found guilty of one additional count of sexual assault and one count of oral rape. The abuse began with grooming, touching, kissing and culminated in forced oral sex when the girl was fourteen. Morrissey, who was aged 18 to 25 at the time of the offences, maintains his innocence. He has been in custody since the first trial in November last year. Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced him to ten and a half years, suspending the final year on conditions.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man groomed, raped and abused girl in 'massive breach of trust'. Charges or matters: one further count of sexual assault and one count of oral rape. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- January 1996 Incident
- March 2003 Incident
- 2022-07-29 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: one further count of sexual assault and one count of oral rape (Proven)
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Morrissey maintains his innocence and does not accept the verdicts of the jury, his sentence hearing was told this week. She handed down a 10-and-a-half year sentence and suspended the final year on a number of conditions.
Places mentioned
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