Courts / Mayo / Report

Terminally ill man and trainee priest brother jailed for rape of young cousin

Date
2023-10-16

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Westport

County
Mayo

Summary

Two brothers have been sentenced to a combined seven years imprisonment following their conviction for the sexual abuse of their cousin over a four-year period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Aidan Gallagher, aged 40, of Westport, County Mayo, received five years with two years post-release supervision after being convicted of six counts of oral rape committed between 1998 and 2003 in sheds near their homes. Thomas Gallagher, aged 38, of County Galway, was sentenced to two years imprisonment after conviction on one rape charge and seven counts of sexual assault at the family's former home in County Leitrim between 1999 and 2003. Mr Justice David Keane reduced Thomas Gallagher's sentence citing his diagnosis with Motor Neuron disease in October 2022 and life expectancy of less than two years, whilst noting that serious offences ordinarily warrant custodial sentences. Both men had denied the allegations. The Central Criminal Court jury, sitting in Carrick-on-Shannon, convicted them in May 2023. The complainant waived anonymity to permit identification of her cousins.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Terminally ill man and trainee priest brother jailed for rape of young cousin. Charges or matters: six charges of oral rape of his cousin on dates between 1998 and 2003 in sheds around their homes; one charge of rape and seven charges of sexual assault on dates between 1999 and 2003 at the family's then home, also in Dadreen. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

October 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
September 2018 Incident
May 2017 Incident
1999 and 2003 Incident
1998 and 2003 Incident
2023-10-16 Publication

Why: She described telling her father about the abuse and his response was to do nothing because he didn't want to upset his older brother. CNI source report

Case subjects

Aidan Gallagher

Convicted Person

Charges: six charges of oral rape of his cousin on dates between 1998 and 2003 in sheds around their homes; one charge of rape and seven charges of sexual assault on dates between 1999 and 2003 at the family's then home, also in Dadreen (Proven)

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; Aidan Gallagher was jailed for five years and has been placed under a two years post release supervision, while

Thomas Gallagher

Convicted Person

Charges: one charge of rape and seven charges of sexual assault on dates between 1999 and 2003 at the family's then home, also in Dadreen (Proven)

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; Aidan Gallagher was jailed for five years and has been placed under a two years post release supervision, while Thomas Gallagher was jailed for two years due to the fact that he is terminally ill. Mr Justice Keane said the offences were serious enough to warrant a headline sentence of 10 years but said that as both men were minors at the time of the offending, he would reduce the headline sentence to six years.