Courts / Sligo / Report
'Truly shocking': 20 years for abuser who starved children and forced them to drink urine
Summary
A 70-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the systematic sexual abuse of five of his children over two decades at various addresses in County Sligo. Noel Farrell of Rathedmond Estate, Sligo, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and 19 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault. The abuse included rape, sexual assault, and inappropriate touching of victims aged between two and seventeen. Evidence revealed that Farrell locked children in rooms for extended periods without food and forced them to drink urine. Mr Justice Tony Hunt described the case as "truly shocking" and noted the absence of mitigating factors beyond the guilty plea. He imposed a headline sentence of 30 years, reduced to 20 years. Four of the five victims waived anonymity to allow Farrell's identification. The judge commended the complainants for their fortitude in confronting their experiences. Farrell has been in custody since his guilty plea in November.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Truly shocking': 20 years for abuser who starved children and forced them to drink urine. Charges or matters: a number of sample counts of sexual abuse against his four daughters and one son at various addresses in Co Sligo over two decades; three counts of rape against three of his daughters, and 19 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault relating to all five complainants; two counts of indecently assaulting his son Christopher; raping and abusing a fourth daughter. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 1997 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 2022 Incident
- 2026-02-20 Publication
Why: He said there was no need to impose a post-release supervision order, because if Farrell "does emerge from a custodial sentence", he will be extremely elderly. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: a number of sample counts of sexual abuse against his four daughters and one son at various addresses in Co Sligo over two decades; three counts of rape against three of his daughters, and 19 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault relating to all five complainants; two counts of indecently assaulting his son Christopher; raping and abusing a fourth daughter (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He said there was no need to impose a post-release supervision order, because if Farrell "does emerge from a custodial sentence", he will be extremely elderly. Farrell, of Rathedmond Estate, Sligo, made no visible reaction as the sentence was handed down, while the complainants in the case embraced each other.
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