The Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a west of Ireland farmer and church sacristan against his conviction for sexual assault of a young female family friend during the 1990s.
In June 2004, Gerald McNeill (60), Castlerea, Co Roscommon, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury on seven charges related to abuse which started when the girl was nine and continued over several years.
McNeill, who denied the claims, was sentenced to a total of 11 years in jail by Mr Justice Henry Abbott, who directed that his name be added to the register of sex offenders. The judge was told the victim wanted Mr McNeill named in media reports.
Yesterday, the three judge CCA, consisting of Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, Mr Justice Declan Budd and Mr Justice Daniel Herbert, dismissed McNeill's appeal against his conviction. It said McNeill's appeal against the severity of the sentence could be heard at a future date.
In 2004, a jury at the Central Criminal Court convicted McNeill of orally raping the girl in a turf shed in 1991 and also convicted him on two charges of sexually assaulting her in 1992 and 1993. The assaults happened in the turf shed, the local church and outside the victim's home.
The trial heard the victim's family had totally trusted McNeill and the girl's mother was devastated by what had occurred.