Edward Bryan’s prison sentence reduced to two and a half years on appeal
This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.
Edward Bryan had his five-year prison sentence reduced to two and a half years by the Court of Appeal on 25 June 2015. Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards, imposed three consecutive 10-month terms. The proceedings were reported on 26 June 2015.
Bryan faced 10 counts at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of indecently assaulting four boys at North Monastery secondary school in Cork between 1 September 1984 and 30 June 1990. He had pleaded not guilty. A jury found him guilty on seven counts relating to three boys. Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on 1 March 2013.
The Court of Criminal Appeal granted Bryan bail in December 2013 to challenge his conviction and sentence. His conviction appeal was heard in May 2015. One conviction was quashed, while the remaining convictions were upheld and the conviction appeal was otherwise dismissed.
His sentence appeal succeeded after he relied on a Court of Appeal judgment delivered earlier in 2015 establishing that the maximum sentence for indecently assaulting a male during the relevant period was two years, rather than the higher maximum previously believed to apply. The DPP had appealed that judgment to the Supreme Court.
The court identified the prolonged offending, number of victims and age difference as aggravating factors. Mr Justice George Birmingham also said Bryan had no previous convictions and was otherwise of good character. His siblings had given evidence at trial about his positive role in the community and family, including caring for his elderly mother.
The judge said the absence of a guilty plea meant the considerable mitigation it could have attracted was unavailable. The court heard Bryan was prepared to undertake any available courses for sex offenders. He was returned to prison following the appeal proceedings.