A paedophile pensioner was today jailed for seven-and-a-half years for sexually abusing four of his young relatives.
The 75-year-old, who can't be named to protect the identity of his victims, will spend a further 18 months on supervised licence on his release from custody to reduce his risk of reoffending.
The former labourer from County Antrim had previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault on females and two indecent assaults on a male. He further pleaded guilty to two charges of gross indecency towards a child and the attempted indecent assault of a female.
Belfast Crown Court heard the offending took place on dates between October 1976 and June 1991 against his three nieces and one nephew. One of the victims was aged just five-years-old when her uncle started to indecently assault her.
It was the prosecution case that the victims went to stay with their grandmother at the weekend where the defendant also lived. The catalogue of sexual assaults took place in his bedroom while he was under the influence of alcohol.
When interviewed by the Probation Board, he disputed the number of offences he had been convicted of and denied having a sexual interest in children. In the pre-sentence report he expressed some victim insight saying he realised how much harm he had caused and that he regretted his actions.
Handing down the nine year sentence, Judge Mark Reel told the defendant: "You engaged in a campaign of serious sexual abuse against three of your nieces and one nephew.
"During the 1980s you used and abused one of your nieces to fulfil your sexual urges. You were a grown man in your mid-30s. She was just starting primary school. You abused her throughout her primary school years. You abused her week in and week out.
"During this period of time you were primarily sexually interested in children. You were a paedophile. You abused four children, both male and female. What they had in common was their age and that they were available to you.''
Judge Reel said the only reason the abuse stopped was because the defendant's mother died and his victims visited her house less often. Added Judge Reel: "Your culpability in this case is high given the age gap between you and your victims and the breach of trust.
"There was a degree of planning in one of the indecent assaults while the others were opportunistic but followed a pattern of behaviour. There were lots of occasions which involved intoxication in circumstances where you knew you were prone to offend when intoxicated and you continued to place yourself in that position.
"There is little mitigation to be found in your subsequent clear record given the seriousness of this offending.''
As the paedophile uncle was led away in handcuffs by prison staff, some of his victims cried and hugged each other in the public gallery.
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States) ·