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Child sex offender jailed for abuse cases dating back to 1980s
Child sex offender jailed for abuse cases dating back to 1980s

BBC News

time2 days ago

  • BBC News

Child sex offender jailed for abuse cases dating back to 1980s

A 72-year-old man has been jailed for 18 years and eight months for multiple child sex offences dating back to the Abbott admitted a string of attacks including six charges of raping a girl under 16 and multiple indecent assaults on a girl under the age of 14, at a previous York Crown Court Friday, as well as the prison sentence he was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely North Yorkshire Police said Abbott, from near Boroughbridge, took "every opportunity" to abuse his victim. The victim described her childhood as "a constant stream of sexual assaults" that began from the age of five and carried on into her Con Mike Cope expressed his admiration for her bravery in coming forward."Abbott took every opportunity to abuse the victim. She was young, helpless and without any means to escape the things that were done to her," he said. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Man (48) given four-year sentence for sexually abusing cousin
Man (48) given four-year sentence for sexually abusing cousin

BreakingNews.ie

time2 days ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Man (48) given four-year sentence for sexually abusing cousin

A man who sexually abused his three-year-old cousin has been jailed for four years. Darren Dowling (48) of Palace Flats, Palace Close, St Saviour, Jersey, UK, was found guilty of eight counts of oral rape and three counts of indecent assault that took place at a Clondalkin address between 1990 and 1993 against his cousin Alan Murphy following a Central Criminal Court trial in July 2024. Advertisement Mr Murphy has waived his anonymity to have Dowling named. He has three previous convictions, all from Jersey in the UK. The court heard that one of the convictions involved him engaging in messages with an undercover police officer in which he sent a picture of himself holding a 10-month-old child on his knee and referring to how excited he was and that there was a bulge in his pants. He was sentenced to 9 months for this offence. At a previous hearing, Justice Paul Burns said the crimes had an adverse effect on Mr Murphy, leading to him having behavioural problems and abusing alcohol and drugs as a teenager to block out the memory of the abuse. Advertisement The birth of his own children helped him to come to terms with his addictions. 'He is rightly proud of himself for seeing it (the trial process) through, and the court hopes that with further intervention and support from his loving family, he will continue to recover,' Mr Justice Burns said. He set a headline sentence of 13 years for the oral rapes and eight years for the sexual assault, given that the victim was a very young boy at the time of the offending, and his cousin had been placed in a position of trust. He also acknowledged that the abuse had happened in the victim's home, a place which 'ought to have been a place of safety', Mr Justice Burns said. Advertisement He reduced the headline sentences to six and a half years and four years respectively, given that Dowling was a juvenile at the time of the offending. Mr Justice Burns then imposed concurrent sentences of five years and three years before he suspended the final 12 months of the five-year term on strict conditions, including that Dowling engage with the Probation Supervision upon his release. The case was adjourned for mention to allow for the hearing of a case in the Supreme Court in relation to the naming of juvenile accused persons when they reach adulthood, and therefore could not be reported until now. At the previous hearing, Detective Garda Sharon Duncan told Grainne O'Neill, BL, prosecuting, that on July 12th of this year, a jury found Dowling guilty of 11 counts. The court heard that Dowling was Mr Murphy's older cousin and would babysit him and his brother. Advertisement The court heard that while Dowling was babysitting, he would bring Mr Murphy upstairs to the bathroom and place his penis into Mr Murphy's mouth and move his head back and forward. Mr Murphy stated in his evidence that the door would be closed and the offending would last between 10 and 15 minutes. Mr Murphy's brother was outside the bathroom or on the stairs while this was happening. Time of offending The court heard that the abuse would take place 'on each and every occasion' that Dowling would babysit. Mr Murphy described how he would scream and hold onto his mother's leg when she was going out. Mr Murphy was aged between three and six at the time of the offending, and Dowling was aged between 13 and 16. Advertisement Mr Murphy's mother gave evidence during the trial, in which she said that Dowling had begun babysitting her sons around the time of Italia 1990. She said that her son disclosed the abuse to her when he was 15 years old. Mr Murphy's brother gave evidence that Dowling would bring his brother to the bathroom. He said the door was closed and possibly locked, as he had tried to enter the bathroom once but could not. He said that when his brother came out of the bathroom, he would be upset and crying. The Director of Public Prosecutions placed the offences in the 10-15 year band. The court was told that the maximum sentence available for section 4 rape is life in prison and 10 years for each of the indecent assault counts. Detective Garda Duncan read Mr Murphy's victim impact statement to the court, which said: 'I never understood the effect the abuse had on me until I gave up drinking and drugs. I was always acting up and misbehaving. I turned to drink and drugs as an early teen to block out the abuse. No one knew why I was so moody.' He said I was so embarrassed and ashamed of people finding out. 'I was just a little boy; why would he do that to me? It makes me feel sick. I want my boys to know never to be afraid to tell the truth.' He concluded by saying: 'I am so grateful for the results of the trial.' Det Gda Duncan agreed with Hugh Hartnett, SC, defending, that his client met with gardaí in Jersey on a voluntary basis and did not contest this extradition from Jersey. Mr Hartnett said his client was a child at the time of the offending. He said it is 34 years since these offences took place, and his client had set up a life for himself in Jersey. Counsel said Dowling was first told that no prosecution would take place, and then that decision was reversed. He said that there was one 'blemish' on his client's record for which he received a nine-month sentence. Ireland Man (20s) appears in court charged with trying to... Read More Mr Hartnett handed letters of testimonial into the court, which described Dowling as a helpful and kind person to his friends. He asked the court to take into account the very serious factors that distinguished this case from others; he outlined that his client was a child at the time of the offending. He said there was no use of violence except for the act itself, and no threat was made. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help.

Why an invitation to dance was used to attack sex abuse claims against MP
Why an invitation to dance was used to attack sex abuse claims against MP

Daily Mail​

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Daily Mail​

Why an invitation to dance was used to attack sex abuse claims against MP

A teen's friendly texts to a state MP and a decision to dance with him alone raised questions about whether claimed sexual abuse by the politician even occurred, a jury has been told. Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, is on trial in the NSW District Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges. He is accused of inviting a drunk 18-year-old man to his South Coast home in February 2013. The man told the jury Ward plied him with drinks before indecently assaulting him three times in one night, despite his attempts to resist. Ward's barrister David Campbell SC questioned these allegations during his closing address to the jury on Friday, saying the teen's conduct in 2014 and 2015 suggested the claimed abuse did not take place. At a party in 2015, the alleged victim called Ward onto the dance floor with video played to the jury showing pair dancing alone, the jury was told. 'Is that the sort of conduct you'd expect from someone who says they've been previously sexually violated by this man?' Mr Campbell asked. In 2014, the alleged victim and Ward exchanged friendly texts, including when the teen moved interstate for a few months. In November 2013, they discussed catching up before Christmas. 'Would love to. Miss you guys!' Ward texted. 'Don't go sappy on me, big fellow. Ha ha, let's do it,' the alleged victim replied. Mr Campbell again asked the jury if that was the sort of conduct they would expect if the teen had been sexually violated months before. The long-time MP has also been accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated political staffer after a mid-week event at NSW Parliament House in 2015. The man, who was 24 at the time, said Ward climbed into bed with him, groped his backside, and sexually assaulted him despite him repeatedly saying 'no'. Both complainants attributed Ward's elevation to minister for families, communities and disability services in 2019 as a 'breaking point' to report their allegations to police, crown prosecutor Monika Knowles told jurors earlier on Friday. She was addressing the alleged victims' delay in reporting the matter to police, which led to Ward not being charged with the offences until 2022. Both were scared for their jobs if they went to police and feared Ward's 'power', Ms Knowles submitted. She pointed to a conversation one complainant had with a colleague after former Premier Gladys Berejiklian's 2019 state election win. '(They) said to (the colleague) that Gladys had selected a rapist as the minister for children in the cabinet ... upon further questioning (he) said quite seriously that the accused had raped him,' she told the court. The other complainant 'liked the feeling of 'being in'' and was a friend of Ward at the time of the alleged incident, along with an important business contact, the Crown said. The defence closings continue on Monday.

Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges
Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges

The Independent

time3 days ago

  • The Independent

Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges

A pensioner extradited to Northern Ireland from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges has been remanded into custody. David Wilson, 77, with an address given as Slane Road, Carnlough, appeared before Antrim Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon. He is facing 18 charges, including of indecent assault and rape in the County Antrim area in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier, police said the man was arrested in Bulgaria on June 10 2025 before being returned to Northern Ireland on Thursday. At court, a police officer said they were opposing bail. 'Mr Wilson was conveyed from London last night into the custody of the PSNI, and then brought before the court today on foot of that warrant,' they said. A defence lawyer said there would not be an application for bail. 'Obviously he has been arrested in Bulgaria and brought here, he has no access to any family, he has been there for 19 years, no access to any money or anything of that nature,' he said. Wilson was remanded to custody. He is next to appear before the court on August 14.

Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges
Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Yahoo

Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges

A pensioner extradited to Northern Ireland from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges has been remanded into custody. David Wilson, 77, with an address given as Slane Road, Carnlough, appeared before Antrim Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon. He is facing 18 charges, including of indecent assault and rape in the County Antrim area in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier, police said the man was arrested in Bulgaria on June 10 2025 before being returned to Northern Ireland on Thursday. At court, a police officer said they were opposing bail. 'Mr Wilson was conveyed from London last night into the custody of the PSNI, and then brought before the court today on foot of that warrant,' they said. A defence lawyer said there would not be an application for bail. 'Obviously he has been arrested in Bulgaria and brought here, he has no access to any family, he has been there for 19 years, no access to any money or anything of that nature,' he said. Wilson was remanded to custody. He is next to appear before the court on August 14.

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