Courts / Limerick / Report

76-year-old man jailed for abusing girl over 50 years ago

Date
2026-06-15

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Limerick

Summary

Tom White (76) was jailed for six years for repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl over 50 years ago when they were neighbors in Limerick. White was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1976. The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, described the abuse as having ended her childhood and shaped her life for 50 years. White had regular access to the girl's home and made lewd comments and physical abuse. The court heard that the abuse occurred several times a week and was described as 'opportunistic'. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon noted the breach of trust and the severity of the abuse. The judge set a headline sentence of 10 years but reduced it to six years considering mitigating factors such as White's age, health issues, and the long intervening period since the crimes were committed. White has a long work history and has been married for about 50 years.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 76-year-old man jailed for abusing girl over 50 years ago. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

August 1971 Incident
August 1976 Incident
2026-06-15 Publication

Case subjects

Tom White

Applicant

Finding: Found guilty

Outcome: Found guilty; Photo: Collins) A 76-year-old Limerick man who repeatedly groped and sexually abused a young girl when they were neighbours more than 50 years ago has been jailed for six years. White went on to marry, had three children and never came to garda attention in the intervening 50 years, his sentence hearing was told.