William Dollard’s conviction upheld as appeal court cuts custodial term

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

The Court of Appeal dismissed William Dollard’s conviction appeal but reduced his custodial term to three years. The proceedings were reported on 24 March 2022.

A jury had found Dollard guilty of sexual assault and attempted anal rape of a 61-year-old man at a location in Co Cork on 30 May 2017. At the Central Criminal Court in June 2020, Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a sentence of five years and six months, with the final 18 months suspended.

Dollard appealed both his conviction and sentence. It was submitted that the trial judge had wrongly held that his arrest and the seizure of his clothing were lawful, and that the sentence was excessive.

In a written judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards said the complaint about the lawfulness of the arrest was wholly misconceived. The court increased the suspended portion of the sentence to two years and six months, leaving three years in custody. The judge said Dollard was due for release imminently because his sentence had been backdated to February 2019.