John Moran jailed for rape and indecent assault

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

John Moran was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on 20 January 2020 to eight years in prison, with the final two years suspended. The proceedings were reported on 21 January 2020.

Moran pleaded guilty to sample charges of one count of rape and seven counts of indecent assault. The offences against his second cousin occurred in Croghan, Co Offaly, between 1968 and 1974, when she was aged between five and 11. Moran was aged between 14 and 21 during the offending.

Mr. Justice Michael White commended the woman’s courage in reporting the abuse. She made a complaint to gardaí in 2016. In her victim impact report, she described the effect of the abuse on her adult life and said she had considered ending her life.

The judge said the nature and duration of the abuse, the woman’s age and the impact on her were aggravating factors. He considered Moran’s guilty plea, ill health, lack of previous convictions and the fact that he was a child during part of the offending. He also said it was aggravating that the abuse continued after Moran reached maturity.