Courts / Roscommon / Report

'Misconduct in public office': abuser not charged for 26 years after making 'wholesale' admissions

Summary

Thomas Collins, 59, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for the sexual abuse of his three cousins, Gretta Conlon, Catherine Conlon, and Gerard Conlon. Collins pleaded guilty to 21 sample counts of indecent assault, attempted rape, and rape committed between 1978 and 1992. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring handed down a sentence of 12 and a half years, suspending the final year on conditions. The sentence was backdated to Collins' guilty pleas in October this year. He is currently serving a separate nine-and-a-half year sentence for abusing another person decades later. The court noted that Collins made "wholesale admissions" to gardaí in 1997 and 2002, yet was not charged until 2023. Ms Justice Ring stated the case should have been dealt with decades ago and highlighted that a garda's conduct in discouraging the victims from proceeding in 1997 had "all the hallmarks of misconduct in public office." The judge praised the victims' determination after waiting 27 years for justice. Collins' barrister argued he was a juvenile for much of the offending and that his early cooperation spared the complainants further re-traumatisation. The victims, who attended the sentencing, described the long struggle for justice and the lasting impact of the abuse.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Misconduct in public office': abuser not charged for 26 years after making 'wholesale' admissions. Charges or matters: 21 sample counts of the indecent assault, attempted rape and rape against three young cousins, Gretta Conlon, Catherine Conlon and Gerard Conlon, in and around their two family homes on dates between 1978 and 1992. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 1978 and 1992 Incident
• 2024-12-17 Publication

Why: "Because of the depraved actions of Thomas Collins, who continuously sexually abused me, I did not get the chance to experience a regular childhood, to be a regular child," Catherine Conlon said in her statement. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report