Courts / Ireland / Report
School bus driver who abused special needs child has sentence almost doubled
Summary
In a case involving a 62‑year‑old school bus driver, the Court of Appeal increased his prison term from three years and six months to six years and six months. The driver had pleaded guilty in 2021 to indecent assault offences committed between 1985 and 1988 and to possession of child pornography in 2014. The original sentencing judge had suspended the final two years of the seven‑year indecent assault sentence and the final two years and six months of the three‑year child‑pornography sentence, citing the 30‑year lapse since the assaults. The Court of Appeal found this suspension an error of principle, stating it did not reflect the seriousness of the offences. The driver had been in custody, participating in a rehabilitation programme, and the appeal resulted in a new, longer custodial term.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: School bus driver who abused special needs child has sentence almost doubled. Charges or matters: several sample charges of indecent assault relating to offences from 1985 to 1988 in the south east of the country. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- November 17, 2021 Incident
- June 2014 Incident
- June 2022 Incident
- 1985 to 1988 Incident
- 2023-07-13 Publication
Case subjects
Respondent
Charges: several sample charges of indecent assault relating to offences from 1985 to 1988 in the south east of the country (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He was sentenced in June 2022 to five years on each charge of indecent assault, to run concurrent, with the final two years suspended, and three years for the charge of possession of child pornography, to run consecutive, with the final two years and six months suspended. Mr Justice McCarthy said that the sentencing judge had suspended a portion of the sentence due to the lapse of 30 years since the indecent assaults.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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