John Joe Kiernan gets suspended sentence for child sexual abuse

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Joe Kiernan received a fully suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court on 22 October 2018 for sexually abusing two children. The offences occurred on or near their family farmland in Arva, County Cavan, more than 60 years earlier.

Kiernan pleaded guilty to six sample counts of indecently assaulting a boy, five sample counts involving the boy’s younger sister, and raping her in childhood.

The judge imposed eight years for rape and five and two years for the indecent assaults, suspending every sentence on condition that Kiernan keep the peace.