Galway car trader sentenced to 12 years for teen sex abuse
A 79-year-old vehicle dealer from County Galway received a 12-year prison sentence for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2010 and 2011.
Galway car trader sentenced to 12 years for teen sex abuse
A vehicle dealer from County Galway has been handed a 12-year custodial sentence for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl over two summers more than a decade ago.
John Malone, aged 79 and from Killadullisk, Killimor, was found guilty of 26 separate offences after a jury trial at the Central Criminal Court in April. The verdicts covered 13 rape counts, three section 4 rape charges, three attempted anal rape counts, and seven sexual assault charges.
The offending took place during 2010 and 2011. Malone was 64 at the time and was acquainted with the victim's family. He persuaded the child to assist with cleaning vehicles, then progressed from kissing to repeated penetrative abuse. The girl received cash payments between €50 and €150 on various occasions, and once got €300 for bog work. Some attacks happened inside a camper van, and one involved a sex toy.
The survivor, now 28, read her victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing on Monday. She told the defendant that incarceration would never be sufficient punishment for his actions. She spoke of being silenced by terror as a child, but emphasised that abused children do not remain small forever and eventually find their voice. She said Malone had exploited her family's financial hardship by using money to secure her compliance.
Justice Melanie Greally described the grooming and the devastating impact on the complainant. The judge initially considered 15 years as the appropriate term, but reduced this to 12 after weighing mitigating circumstances: Malone's advanced age, physical frailty, and the fact that two of his grown children have serious health conditions.
The defendant maintains his innocence and has expressed no regret. When questioned by detectives, he rejected all claims and made unflattering comments about the survivor and her relatives, alleging the case was driven by a desire for money. Prosecutors had classified the matter in the highest seriousness bracket because of the substantial age difference, the prolonged nature of the abuse, and the deliberate grooming.
Source: BreakingNews.ie
Source: BreakingNews.ie