Courts / Ireland / Report
Jail for Laois man convicted of indecent assault over 30 years ago
Summary
A 49‑year‑old Laois man was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment after a jury convicted him of indecent assault on a girl aged between nine and eleven in a field between 1983 and 1985. The jury acquitted him of rape. The accused, who is married with children and has no prior convictions, denied the allegations. He has not been in the attention of the Gardaí since the offence. Justice Isobel Kennedy noted that the victim, now 42, had testified that the man forced her to perform oral sex and that her younger sibling witnessed him removing her clothing. She described the lasting impact of the abuse, including flashbacks and a period of alcohol use, and her subsequent sobriety and personal growth. The judge imposed the custodial sentence, while the defence argued for a non‑custodial outcome, citing the accused's responsible employment and changed life. The court accepted the custodial sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for Laois man convicted of indecent assault over 30 years ago. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Acquitted
When:
- 1983 and 1985 Incident
- 2016-05-30 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Acquitted
Outcome: Acquitted; A Laois man convicted of indecently assaulting a girl in his neighbourhood when he was a teenager has been jailed for two and a half years. Ms Justice Kennedy imposed a two and a half year sentence.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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