AN 82-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for two years after being convicted of indecently assaulting three schoolgirls more than 20 years ago.
One of the complainants, who was aged seven at the time and who was abused five times, said she had been admitted to a mental institution at 16 and had tried to commit suicide on a number of occasions.
Another said that because of her experience, she felt she was abusing her two small daughters when she bathed them and washed their private parts.
The third woman, now in her 30s, said she had been the subject of idle talk in her community. She said the defendant needed time to reflect “on a lifetime of abuse”.
The accused, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, was convicted by a jury at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Court last February of seven counts of indecent assault against the three schoolgirls, all of whom were under 12 when the assaults took place. He was acquitted on two counts.
Judge John O’Hagan, who heard medical evidence that the accused had been treated for cancer and had heart problems, said yesterday he had considered imposing a suspended sentence because of the man’s age and poor health, but he said he would not go down that road.
He said the sentence had to underline the seriousness of what had happened.
He imposed a three-year sentence but suspended the last year.
One woman had been abused when she visited her grandmother who lived across the road from the defendant and who had used to get him to do odd jobs.
Another woman, who had lived next door to the accused, said he had taken away her innocence. She had been left with no confidence and low self-esteem and a distrust of men. She said her experiences had affected her physical relationship with her partner.
The court heard that the offences were committed from 1984 to 1991.
