A Monaghan man who is said to be unable to control his behaviour after suffering damage to the frontal lobe of his brain has received a five-year jail sentence for inviting two schoolgirls to take part in a sexual act with him.
Peter Clarke (69) of O’Neill Street, Carrickmacross, was found guilty of two counts of sexual exploitation after a trial at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court last September.
Clarke had denied inviting the then first-year students to participate in a sexual act at a location in Dundalk on September 9th, 2011.
Judge Rory MacCabe yesterday sitting at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin said Clarke was at a high risk of similar offending. He imposed a five-year prison sentence to begin from the date of conviction on September 24th last.
Invitation
He suspended the final three years for three years on condition
Clarke comply with all directions of the Probation Services.
The trial had heard the two 12-year-old girls were sitting outside a cafe during a break from school when Clarke approached them.
Clarke approached the girls and made a “colloquial” invitation to sexual activity after placing a €5 note on the table. He walked away but came back and repeated the invitation before driving off in a green Jaguar car, the court was told.
Gardaí tracked him down by tracing the distinctive car and Clarke said he couldn’t remember making the propositions but admitted he could have.
The court heard Clarke had 15 previous convictions including three for sexual assault.
He is currently serving two concurrent five-year prison sentences in the Midlands Prison for two sexual assaults committed on May 12th and September 10th, 2011. He also has four convictions for public indecency for offences committed in April 2011, October 2007 and on February 2nd, 2007. His third conviction for sexual assault was committed on February 2nd, 2007.
Brain atrophy
Roderick O’Hanlon, defending, told the court
his client was involved in a significant road traffic incident 20 years ago and suffered damage to his frontal lobe.
He said he had suffered brain atrophy and operated on a “mildly mentally handicapped basis”.
“He has an inability to properly control himself as regards sexual matters, particularly, it would appear, with younger females,” Mr O’Hanlon said.