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07 Sept 2025
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07 Sept 2025
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Derry Court
An eighty-one years old man who sexually abused his daughter over a two year period starting in April 1978 when she was aged eight, has been jailed for thirty-two months at Derry Crown Court.
His daughter who was in court for the sentencing hearing supported by several members of her family, said she wanted her abusive father to be named.
He's John James Callaghan from Bridge Street in Derry city centre.
It emerged during the sentencing hearing that Callaghan was extradited from Spain in 2014 when he was accused of sexually abusing two of his granddaughters. He was subsequently jailed in Dublin for four years for those offences.
Defence barrister Kieran Mallon KC said he accepted that the three charges of child sex abuse perpetrated by Callaghan on his daughter were pre-mediated and caused a significant level of harm and anguish to her.
"The pleas of guilty provide absolute vindication for the injured party. He no longer has access to children", he said.
Judge Neil Rafferty KC described the contents of the injured party's Victim Personal Statement as "one of the most powerful statements I have ever encountered as a judge".
He said the injured party started her statement by writing "I am a survivor not a victim" and concluded it by writing "this is where it stops".
Judge Rafferty said two of the sexual assaults involved digital penetration and all of the sex abuse took place in the family home. He said it was a disgrace that because of the legislation at the time of the offences the maximum sentence he could impose for each of the three offences was two years compared to the current maximum sentence of ten years.
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"This was a significant and pre-mediated breach of trust carried out for his own sexual gratification", he said.
As well as jailing Callaghan for thirty-two months Judge Rafferty placed him on the Sex Offender's Register for ten years.
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