A former Laois tattoo and piercing parlour owner has been jailed for eight years for the separate sexual assaults of two women and a teenage girl while they were clients of his business.

Paul Kelleher (61) of Esker Gate, Mountmellick, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault following a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court earlier this year.

His offending took place at Newfaze Ink, in Portlaoise on dates between August and December 2015 and in January 2018.

Two of the victims were receiving piercings when Kelleher sexually assaulted them. The third victim – who was 14 at the time – was having a piercing cleaned when Kelleher sexually assaulted her.

On Monday April 28, Kelleher was handed a sentence of nine years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions.

He maintains his innocence and after sentence was imposed, Kelleher addressed the court to say he would be changing his legal team.

The court heard that the three victims wish for Kelleher to be named. In their victim impact statements, the complainants spoke of the profound effect of Kelleher's offending on their lives, including a lack of trust in male professionals, particularly men working in medical fields.

The three women each said they found the trial process difficult. One woman said she felt she was made to look “either a liar or stupid” and found it “degrading” giving evidence during the trial and in front of Kelleher.

In her impact statement, the third woman, who was sexually abused when she was 14, said her “teenage years were taken from me” and her “happy, innocent childhood was changed in an instant”.

She said while the fear and hurt would never leave her, she was determined that Kelleher would not affect more of her life.

Kelleher was the joint owner and operator of the tattoo and piercing business. When interviewed, he denied the allegations. He gave evidence on his own behalf during the trial, during which he also denied wrongdoing.

Kelleher's wife claimed in her evidence that she was present when the first victim was being pierced and nothing happened. She didn't tell gardai this when she was interviewed, the court was told.

He has two previous convictions, including one for sexual assault in similar circumstances for which he received a four-year sentence, with the final two years suspended.

Patrick McCarthy BL, defending, asked the court to take into consideration his client's personal circumstances and the contents of a psychological report. Kelleher has three adult children.

Kelleher served in the Defence Forces and was deployed to Lebanon in 1983. After leaving the army, he lived and worked in the UK before returning to Ireland in 2000.

Kelleher's wife has a number of health issues and his absence is causing difficulties, Mr McCarthy told the court.

Imposing sentence, Judge Pauline Codd said Kelleher's previous conviction for similar offending was aggravating, as well as the “significant breach of trust involved” in these offences.

The judge also noted the age disparity between Kelleher and his three victims, noting that he was old enough to be the grandfather of the teenage victim – who the judge added was too young to have received a piercing in the first instance.

Judge Codd said Kelleher “abused his position of trust” then attempted to “gaslight” the victims about what had happened. She noted that Kelleher maintains his innocence, as is his right, but that meant he had expressed no remorse and offered no apology to the victims.

The judge said she had considered the mitigation and the contents of a psychological report. Judge Codd noted that Kelleher appeared to suggest in this report that the allegations were made out of jealousy about his business's success. She said the three woman came forward independently and there was no evidence to support his contention, adding that Kelleher appears to be “wholly in denial”.

The judge handed Kelleher three consecutive sentences of three years. She suspended the final year of the global nine-year sentence on the condition that Kelleher attends counselling to reduce his risk of sexual re-offending.

Garda Sergeant John Masterson told Eileen O'Leary SC, prosecuting, that the first victim, who was then in her early 20s, was at Newfaze Ink in August 2015 to get a piercing. She had an anxiety attack while in the cubicle and Kelleher said he knew about stress and anxiety.

The woman's sisters were with her and Kelleher told them to leave.

He then touched her neck, breast, and stomach area before touching her vaginal area under her clothing.

The woman felt helpless, invaded and like a ragdoll.

When she was leaving, Kelleher patted her on the back and said “good girl”. She paid and left, then later called Kelleher a 'dirty bastard' while speaking to her sister.

The woman's sister gave evidence during the trial that she saw Kelleher touch the victim's breast.

In her victim impact statement, she said her trust in men was “destroyed” by what happened. She said she felt Kelleher was “seeking me out to intimidate and harass me” during the wait for the trial to take place.

She said she found the court case very hard, describing it as “degrading” and humiliating to have to give evidence.

The woman said she was “relieved” when she heard the verdict and for the first time, Kelleher “wasn't smirking at me”. “I know I got justice that day. It was a long time coming, but it was worth it”.

The second victim, then in her late 30s, visited Newfaze Ink on a date between September and December 2015.

While she was there, a conversation started about piercings in the pubic area. During this time, Kelleher pulled her close before digitally penetrating her vagina.

He asked her if she could feel him inside, then afterwards, patted her knee and said “this is why I love my job”.

He pierced her, then patted her on the back before leaving, telling her that the piercing was free. She was shaking and anxious afterwards.

In her victim impact statement, she said she lived in “constant fear of men” due to Kelleher breaking her trust, while carrying out his professional duties.

She said she has struggled with trust issues and attended counselling to deal with PTSD and trauma.

She said the case had “overshadowed milestones” over the last ten years, but she could now begin to heal.

The 14-year-old victim was in the salon in January 2018 to have a piercing cleaned. While she was on the treatment table, Kelleher opened her pants, before putting his hand on her vaginal area over her clothing.

The teenager was shocked. She wasn't charged when leaving. Kelleher told her not to tell anyone.

She told a friend afterwards that what happened was weird, describing Kelleher as touchy-feely, before pointing to her vaginal area.

In a victim impact statement read by her mother, this complainant said she entered the shop as an “innocent 14-year-old”, but left full of fear and confusion.

She said she couldn't go to a male doctor unless her mother was present, and said she believed that any man in a position of authority and trust was “going to do the same to me”.

She said she understands now as an adult that any feelings of shame are not hers, but belong to Kelleher. She said the fear and hurt would never leave, but she wanted to try to draw a line under what had happened and not let Kelleher affect any more of her life.

Sgt Masterson agreed with Mr McCarthy that his client was co-operative with gardai. It was further accepted that Kelleher's business operated between 2008 and 2020 and employed several people.

The witness also accepted Mr McCarthy's suggestion that his client was a “strong family man” who had mental health difficulties following his initial arrest in 2015, which resulted in his hospitalisation.

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