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Irish Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man who sexually assaulted five women at Irish pilgrimage site jailed
A worker at the Lough Derg pilgrimage site who duped unsuspecting women into helping him at the retreat so he could sexually assault them has been jailed for a total of four years. Cunning Tomas Gallagher preyed on five female victims by asking them to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of terrifying incidents at the renowned religious setting. But instead of helping the workman, the innocent women found themselves being sexually assaulted after the 42-year-old preyed on the unsuspecting women. Details of the plans hatched by Gallagher were outlined before Letterkenny Circuit Court last week. Gallagher had pleaded guilty to seven charges in all, four for sexual assaults of adults, two for sexual assault on children and one charge of invitation to a child to sexually touch. And today, having considered reports on Gallagher as well as the statements from his victims, Judge John Aylmer jailed the father-of-one for five years with the last 12 months suspended. He said the crimes, as outlined in the case, were "egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage." He told Gallagher that his crimes were 'deceitful' and 'premeditated' and that he placed them in the mid-range for such offences and which merited a sentence of seven years before mitigation. In mitigation he noted an early plea, the fact that the accused had no previous convictions, that he appeared to be remorseful and ashamed of his actions. Judge Aylmer also noted that Gallagher had undertaken 24 counselling sessions, that he was fully cooperative and that he had been ostracised in the local community. Taking the totality factor into account and that all sentences will run concurrently, Judge Aylmer said he was reducing the overall sentence to one of five years. He then added that with regard to all efforts to encourage rehabilitation and the fact that it needs to be encouraged, he suspended the final 12 months of that sentence meaning Gallagher will serve four years in prison. He is also to go under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months. Gallagher, from Rathanlacky, Dunkineely pleaded to a total of seven charges against five different women at the holy island on the shores of Lough Derg. He pleaded to six charges of sexual assault at St Patrick's Purgatory. These offences are contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. He also pleaded that in the same period and location, he did attempt, by inviting, inducing, counselling or inciting a child to sexual touching. This offence is contrary to Section 4 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017. The victims, who cannot be named to protect their identity, ranged in age from their early teens to more mature women in their later years. All of the offences took place in 2022, when Gallagher worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat, as well as driving a boat taking pilgrims to and from the island. Barrister for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL and investigating Garda Joanna Doherty outlined the details of the incidents. Statements given to Gardai by the victims told how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to come into a laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines. The statements outlined how the unsuspecting women were asked to reach behind them into the machines while Gallagher fixed a "pipe." The women thought they were holding a pipe but instead they were gripping the accused man's penis. On one occasion, Gallagher told one of his victims to twist the pipe like she was "revving a motorcycle." Gallagher told another victim that the "pipe" would be soft and moist. An older victim was approached by Gallagher, who asked her to reach behind a dishwasher and hold a pipe but she "knew immediately it was no pipe" as it was warm and soft and felt like a penis. The woman couldn't see it but the shocked woman jumped back and shouted "what the f*** is that?" The woman didn't tell anybody else about the incident that day but felt upset and did later tell her daughter about what had happened. On another occasion, Gallagher asked a young teenage girl to help him with a washing machine and asked her to hold a "pipe". She grabbed the "pipe" and he told her to "hold it there" as he chatted to her about school. However, the girl told how the pipe didn't feel like plastic but was warm and had a rubbery texture and that it felt sticky or sweaty. Another teenager told in her statement how Gallagher asked him to assist her with a tumble dryer and told her to put her hand behind a wooden board and he got her to hold something. He told the girl to hold the "pipe" harder and then to loosen it and then to increase her grip before he said "yeah, that's fine." The young woman then said the pipe was "squishy, wet and warm" and when she stood up she saw Gallagher's penis sticking out from the zipper of his trousers. One young woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened which led to others coming forward making complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher. Gallagher was interviewed by Gardai on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened. During one interview with Detective Garda Paul McHugh, Gallagher admitted asking one woman to hold a pipe on a tumble dryer as it had been leaking. He claimed the woman had got up and left for no apparent reason and he had been left nervous and embarrassed by the incident. However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. Victim impact statements from the women were read out in court while two young women chose to read out their own statements. One young woman fought back tears as she told how despite being the victim she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened and often thinks about if she could have stopped this from happening to other women. She added that she often thinks about Gallagher's son and that she prays that he is safe. An older victim said she feels vulnerable and intimidated by what had happened and that she is sorry that she did not speak up sooner but was afraid that people would laugh at her or not believe her. Another victim told how she was a student but failed her exams because she became depressed after Gallagher's assault on her. However, she later completed her exams and was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further but still feels he stole something from her. A teenage victim said she has been forced to attend counselling because of anxiety and that she is now always on edge and simply cannot trust men. She decided not to come to court as she feared that seeing Gallagher again would trigger her anxiety. Another woman, who now lives abroad and gave her evidence by videolink, told how she lives in an apartment with a lift and if a man gets into the lift she can't stop thinking "what if?" She said she realises that she should not tar all men with the same brush but Gallagher's attack had made her an angrier, wearier and a meaner person as a result. She added that she does feel disgusted by what had happened but sometimes feels glad that he had chosen her and that she had alerted the authorities to what was happening as she hated to think what number of victims there might have been. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he wanted to apologise to his victims. He said he "truly regretted" his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families. Asked by his barrister, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, if he realised this was a huge breach of trust, Gallagher replied that he did. He also revealed that he had engaged in 24 counselling sessions to better understand the impact his actions have had on others. Mr Smyth said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions, that he had now lost his employment and had become a pariah in the local community because of the publicity surrounding the case. He added the fact that the offences took place in a sacred place, a place of pilgrimage for Christian people going back many centuries, also had to be acknowledged. Mr Smyth suggested to Judge John Aylmer that there also has to be "light at the end of the tunnel" for Gallagher, asking him to consider his client's remorse, his blameless life up until now and his guilty plea.
Sunday World
21 hours ago
- General
- Sunday World
Lough Derg pilgrimage site worker jailed for sexually assaulting five women
Tomas Gallagher preyed on five female victims by asking them to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of incidents at the religious site A worker at the Lough Derg pilgrimage site who duped unsuspecting women into helping him at the retreat so he could sexually assault them has been jailed for a total of four years. Cunning Tomas Gallagher preyed on five female victims by asking them to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of terrifying incidents at the renowned religious setting. But instead of helping the workman, the innocent women found themselves being sexually assaulted after the 42-year-old preyed on the unsuspecting women. Details of the plans hatched by Gallagher were outlined before Letterkenny Circuit Court last week. Gallagher had pleaded to seven charges in all, four for sexual assaults of adults, two for sexual assault on children and one charge of invitation to a child to sexually touch. And today, having considered reports on Gallagher as well as the statements from his victims, Judge John Aylmer jailed the father-of-one for five years with the last 12 months suspended. He said the crimes, as outlined in the case, were "egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage." St. Patrick's Purgatory on Lough Derg in Co Donegal. Photo: PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty He told Gallagher that his crimes were 'deceitful' and 'premeditated' and that he placed them in the mid-range for such offences and which merited a sentence of seven years before mitigation. In mitigation he noted an early plea, the fact that the accused had no previous convictions, that he appeared to be remorseful and ashamed of his actions. Judge Aylmer also noted that Gallagher had undertaken 24 counselling sessions, that he was fully cooperative and that he had been ostracised in the local community. Taking the totality factor into account and that all sentences will run concurrently, Judge Aylmer said he was reducing the overall sentence to one of five years. He then added that with regard to all efforts to encourage rehabilitation and the fact that it needs to be encouraged, he suspended the final twelve months of that sentence meaning Gallagher will serve four years in prison. He is also to go under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months. Gallagher, from Rathanlacky, Dunkineely pleaded to a total of seven charges against five different women at the holy island on the shores of Lough Derg. He pleaded to six charges of sexual assault at St Patrick's Purgatory. These offences are contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. He also pleaded that in the same period and location, he did attempt, by inviting, inducing, counselling or inciting a child to sexual touching. This offence is contrary to Section 4 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017. The victims, who cannot be named to protect their identity, ranged in age from their early teens to more mature women in their later years. Tomas Gallagher. Photo: Northwest News Pix News in 90 June 4th All of the offences took place in 2022 when Gallagher worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat, as well as driving a boat taking pilgrims to and from the island. Barrister for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL and investigating Garda Joanna Doherty outlined the details of the incidents. Statements given to Gardai by the victims told how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to come into a laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines. The statements outlined how the unsuspecting women were asked to reach behind them into the machines while Gallagher fixed a 'pipe.' The women thought they were holding a pipe but instead they were gripping the accused man's penis. On one occasion, Gallagher told one of his victims to twist the pipe like she was 'revving a motorcycle.' Gallagher told another victim that the 'pipe' would be soft and moist. An older victim was approached by Gallagher who asked her to reach behind a dishwasher and hold a pipe but she 'knew immediately it was no pipe' as it was warm and soft and felt like a penis. The woman couldn't see it but the shocked woman jumped back and shouted 'what the f*** is that?' The woman didn't tell anybody else about the incident that day but felt upset and did later tell her daughter about what had happened. On another occasion, Gallagher asked a young teenage girl to help him with a washing machine and asked her to hold a 'pipe'. She grabbed the 'pipe' and he told her to 'hold it there' as he chatted to her about school. However, the girl told how the pipe didn't feel like plastic but was warm and had a rubbery texture and that it felt sticky or sweaty. Another teenager told in her statement how Gallagher asked him to assist her with a tumble dryer and told her to put her hand behind a wooden board and he got her to hold something. He told the girl to hold the 'pipe' harder and then to loosen it and then to increase her grip before he said 'yeah, that's fine.' The young woman then said the pipe was 'squishy, wet and warm' and when she stood up she saw Gallagher's penis sticking out from the zipper of his trousers. One young woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened which led to others coming forward making complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher. Gallagher was interviewed by Gardai on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened. During one interview with Detective Garda Paul McHugh, Gallagher admitted asking one woman to hold a pipe on a tumble dryer as it had been leaking. He claimed the woman had got up and left for no apparent reason and he had been left nervous and embarrassed by the incident. However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. Victim impact statements from the women were read out in court while two young women chose to read out their own statements. One young woman fought back tears as she told how despite being the victim she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened and often thinks about if she could have stopped this from happening to other women. She added that she often thinks about Gallagher's son and that she prays that he is safe. An older victim said she feels vulnerable and intimidated by what had happened and that she is sorry that she did not speak up sooner but was afraid that people would laugh at her or not believe her. Another victim told how she was a student but failed her exams because she became depressed after Gallagher's assault on her. However, she later completed her exams and was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further but still feels he stole something from her. A teenage victim said she has been forced to attend counselling because of anxiety and that she is now always on edge and simply cannot trust men. She decided not to come to court as she feared that seeing Gallagher again would trigger her anxiety. Another woman, who now lives abroad and gave her evidence by videolink, told how she lives in an apartment with a lift and if a man gets into the lift she can't stop thinking 'what if?' She said she realises that she should not tar all men with the same brush but Gallagher's attack had made her an angrier, wearier and a meaner person as a result. She added that she does feel disgusted by what had happened but sometimes feels glad that he had chosen her and that she had alerted the authorities to what was happening as she hated to think what number of victims there might have been. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he wanted to apologise to his victims. He said he 'truly regretted' his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families. Asked by his barrister, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, if he realised this was a huge breach of trust, Gallagher replied that he did. He also revealed that he had engaged in 24 counselling sessions to better understand the impact his actions have had on others. Mr Smyth said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions, that he had now lost his employment and had become a pariah in the local community because of the publicity surrounding the case. He added the fact that the offences took place in a sacred place, a place of pilgrimage for Christian people going back many centuries, also had to be acknowledged. Mr Smyth suggested to Judge John Aylmer that there also has to be 'light at the end of the tunnel' for Gallagher, asking him to consider his client's remorse, his blameless life up until now and his guilty plea.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Man jailed for sexual assaults at Christian pilgrimage site
A man who sexually assaulted five women at a Christian pilgrimage site in the Republic of Ireland has been jailed for a total of four years. Tomas Gallagher, 42, of Rathanlacky, Dunkineely, County Donegal, was handed a five-year prison sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, for a range of offences committed in 2022 at St Patrick's Purgatory on Lough Derg. Appearing before Letterkenny Circuit Court, the court heard Gallagher deceived his victims into helping him fix washing appliances in a laundry room before subjecting them to a series of sexual acts. In sentencing Gallagher, the judge described his crimes as "egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage". Judge John Aylmer said an aggravating feature in the case was the ages of some of the victims, two of whom were teenagers, as well as the breach of trust involved. He described the incidents against the women, who cannot be named to protect their identities, as "deceitful and premeditated". Gallagher pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges involving five different women at St Patrick's Purgatory, which was recently designated a national pilgrimage site. He pleaded guilty to six charges of sexual assault. He also admitted that, during the same period and at the same location, he attempted to invite, induce, counsel or incite a child to engage in sexual touching. A prosecuting barrister and senior garda (Irish police officer) outlined the details of Gallagher's offending when he worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat and a boat driver, taking pilgrims to and from the island. Statements given to police by his victims described how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to help him in the laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines, such as washing machines and and tumble dryers, before he sexually assaulted them. One woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened to her, which led to others coming forward with complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher. Gallagher was interviewed by Gardaí (Irish police) on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened. However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. Victim impact statements from three women were read out in court, while two of the victims chose to read their own statements. One fought back tears as she spoke of how, despite being the victim, she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened. Another victim said she was made to feel vulnerable and intimidated but was afraid to speak up sooner, fearing she would not be believed. The court heard from a woman who said she failed exams because of Gallagher's depraved acts. She said she later completed the exams, was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further. A teenage victim said she had to attend counselling, while another woman, who gave her evidence by video link, said Gallagher's attack had made her distrusting of men as a result of his actions. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he "truly regretted" his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families. The judge said Gallagher came before the court on an early plea and appeared genuinely remorseful. He said the accused man was fully cooperative with the probation service and had undergone counselling. In relation to the charges against the children, Gallagher was sentenced to five years in prison. He was given a sentence of three-and-a-half years on the other charges with the sentences to run concurrently. The last 12 months of the sentence was suspended for a period of 12 months on condition that Gallagher enter a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for 12 months following his release from prison and on condition that he continue under the supervision of the probation service. In a statement from the Diocese of Clogher, the Prior of Lough Derg, Monsignor La Flynn, apologised to Gallagher's victims "unreservedly for the hurt they have suffered". He said that, along with the then operations manager at Lough Derg, he was made aware of allegations of sexual assault in 2022. "In accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures, the allegations were immediately reported to An Garda Síochána (Irish police) for investigation," Monsignor La Flynn said. "The member of staff was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. He has since voluntarily resigned from his employment. "The Diocese of Clogher, of which Lough Derg is a constituent part, and the management of Lough Derg are fully committed to adhering to the highest standards, practices, policies, and procedures for safeguarding, and to cooperating fully with the statutory authorities in all such cases." He urged anyone with "a concern or complaint, either now or from the past" to come forward and speak to the diocese and statutory authorities.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Lough Derg: Tomas Gallagher jailed for sexual assaults at Christian pilgrimage site
A man who sexually assaulted five women at a Christian pilgrimage site in the Republic of Ireland has been jailed for a total of four Gallagher, 42, of Rathanlacky, Dunkineely, County Donegal, was handed a five-year prison sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, for a range of offences committed in 2022 at St Patrick's Purgatory on Lough before Letterkenny Circuit Court, the court heard Gallagher deceived his victims into helping him fix washing appliances in a laundry room before subjecting them to a series of sexual sentencing Gallagher, the judge described his crimes as "egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage". 'Deceitful and premeditated' Judge John Aylmer said an aggravating feature in the case was the ages of some of the victims, two of whom were teenagers, as well as the breach of trust described the incidents against the women, who cannot be named to protect their identities, as "deceitful and premeditated".Gallagher pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges involving five different women at St Patrick's Purgatory, which was recently designated a national pilgrimage pleaded guilty to six charges of sexual also admitted that, during the same period and at the same location, he attempted to invite, induce, counsel or incite a child to engage in sexual touching. A prosecuting barrister and senior garda (Irish police officer) outlined the details of Gallagher's offending when he worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat and a boat driver, taking pilgrims to and from the given to police by his victims described how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to help him in the laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines, such as washing machines and and tumble dryers, before he sexually assaulted woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened to her, which led to others coming forward with complaints of a similar nature against was interviewed by Gardaí (Irish police) on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. Victim impact statements Victim impact statements from three women were read out in court, while two of the victims chose to read their own statements. One fought back tears as she spoke of how, despite being the victim, she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had victim said she was made to feel vulnerable and intimidated but was afraid to speak up sooner, fearing she would not be court heard from a woman who said she failed exams because of Gallagher's depraved acts. She said she later completed the exams, was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further.A teenage victim said she had to attend counselling, while another woman, who gave her evidence by video link, said Gallagher's attack had made her distrusting of men as a result of his actions. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he "truly regretted" his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their judge said Gallagher came before the court on an early plea and appeared genuinely remorseful. He said the accused man was fully cooperative with the probation service and had undergone relation to the charges against the children, Gallagher was sentenced to five years in prison. He was given a sentence of three-and-a-half years on the other charges with the sentences to run last 12 months of the sentence was suspended for a period of 12 months on condition that Gallagher enter a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for 12 months following his release from prison and on condition that he continue under the supervision of the probation service. Unreserved apology from diocese In a statement from the Diocese of Clogher, the Prior of Lough Derg, Monsignor La Flynn, apologised to Gallagher's victims "unreservedly for the hurt they have suffered".He said that, along with the then operations manager at Lough Derg, he was made aware of allegations of sexual assault in 2022."In accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures, the allegations were immediately reported to An Garda Síochána (Irish police) for investigation," Monsignor La Flynn said."The member of staff was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. He has since voluntarily resigned from his employment."The Diocese of Clogher, of which Lough Derg is a constituent part, and the management of Lough Derg are fully committed to adhering to the highest standards, practices, policies, and procedures for safeguarding, and to cooperating fully with the statutory authorities in all such cases."He urged anyone with "a concern or complaint, either now or from the past" to come forward and speak to the diocese and statutory authorities.
Irish Times
a day ago
- General
- Irish Times
Lough Derg worker who sexually assaulted women at retreat jailed for four years
A four-year jail term has been imposed on a Lough Derg pilgrimage site worker who duped unsuspecting women into helping him so he could sexually assault them. Tomas Gallagher of Rathanlacky, Dunkineely, Co Donegal asked five female victims to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers as part of a move to sexually assault them. Gallagher (42) pleaded guilty at Letterkenny Circuit Court to four counts of sexual assault on adults, two counts of sexual assault on children and one charge of invitation to a child to sexually touch. Judge John Aylmer on Wednesday sentenced the father-of-one to five years, with the last 12 months suspended during which he must remain under the supervision of the probation service. READ MORE He said the crimes were 'deceitful', 'premeditated' and 'egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage'. In mitigation, he noted an early plea, the fact the accused had no previous convictions, that he appeared to be remorseful and ashamed of his actions. The judge said Gallagher has been ostracised in the local community. Gallagher pleaded to a total of seven charges against five different women at the holy island on the shores of Lough Derg. He pleaded to six charges of sexual assault at St Patrick's Purgatory. He also pleaded that in the same period and location, he did attempt, by inviting, inducing, counselling or inciting a child to sexual touching. The victims, who cannot be named to protect their identity, ranged in age from their early teens to older women. The offences took place in 2022 when Gallagher worked as a maintenance man at the retreat, as well as transporting pilgrims by boat. Statements given to gardaí by victims told how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to come into a laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines. The women were asked to reach behind them into the machines while Gallagher fixed a 'pipe.' They thought were holding a pipe but instead they were gripping the accused's penis. One young woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what happened which led to others coming forward making complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher. He was interviewed by gardaí on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened. During one interview Gallagher admitted asking one woman to hold a pipe on a tumble dryer as it had been leaking. He said the woman had got up and left for no apparent reason and he had been left nervous and embarrassed by the incident. However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. A victim impact statement read out by one young woman told how despite being the victim she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened and often thinks about if she could have stopped this from happening to other women. A statement read out from a teenage victim said she has been forced to attend counselling because of anxiety and that she is now always on edge and simply cannot trust men. She decided not to come to court as she feared that seeing Gallagher again would trigger her anxiety. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he wanted to apologise to his victims. He said he 'truly regretted' his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families. His barrister, Colm Smyth, SC, said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions, that he had now lost his employment and had become a pariah in the local community.
