Mayo man jailed for three years over sexual assault of five-year-old

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

Pat Salmon, 89, of Rockfield, Knock, Claremorris, Co Mayo, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five counts of sexually assaulting a five-year-old child at his home in 1995. He was 59 at the time and had no previous convictions.

The judge set a five-year headline sentence, reduced to three years in light of mitigating factors including Salmon’s guilty plea, age, ill-health and lack of previous convictions. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs described the abuse as planned acts for sexual gratification and a grotesque violation.