A former governor of Mountjoy Prison who indecently assaulted a young girl over a seven year period has been jailed for three years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Pat Carolan (73), a father of four, of Kinvara Road, Cabra, who was a governor of the Mountjoy Prison Training Unit and St Patrick's Institution, pleaded guilty to 28 charges of indecently assaulting her from when she was aged about five until she was about 13.
The offences occurred on dates unknown between June 1982 and June 1989.
Judge Desmond Hogan suspended the final two years of the sentence and said he accepted a sum of €20,000 handed over by Carolan to his victim as a sign of his contrition.
Ms Pauline Walley BL, prosecuting, told Judge Hogan the now 27-year-old victim wanted Carolan named in media reports of the case.
Detective Garda Andy Tuite told Ms Walley that the first incident occurred when the victim was playing with one of the accused's children in the garage of his house.
When Carolan's son went into the house, Carolan came into the garage, put his arm in front of her and put his hand down on her vagina. She jumped and he asked if it hurt and when the victim said
"No", Carolan put his finger inside her vagina.
The victim said that Carolan exclaimed: "Oh Jesus! We would be in terrible trouble if anyone found out what we were doing" and told her that if her family were told what happened then her father would go to jail.
Garda Tuite said this abuse continued at least once a week every weekend from the time the victim was aged five until she was aged seven. The victim couldn't say how many times it occurred but thought it must have been hundreds of times.