Derry man pleas guilty to sexually abusing a young boy in the 1980s

A sixty-seven years old man has pleaded guilty at the Crown Court in Derry to sexually abusing a young boy in the 1980s.

On the morning of the expected trial before Judge Richard Greene KC defence barrister Peter Hunt KC asked for the defendant to be re-arraigned on three of the nine charges he'd originally denied.

The defendant, Alan Edward Lyttle from Cranford Crescent in the Waterside area of the city, then replied "guilty" to three charges of indecently assaulting his child victim on dates between August 1986 and June 1987.

Prosecution barrister Liam McCollum KC told Judge Greene that the three guilty pleas were acceptable to the prosecution and he applied for the remaining six similar charges to be left on the books, not to be proceeded with without leave of the court or of the High Court.

Mr. Hunt told the court that Lyttle had significant health and psychiatric issues and he applied for appropriate medical reports to be prepared prior to the defendant's sentencing, as well as for a pre-sentence report.

Lyttle was released on bail until he's sentenced for the offences, probably on a date in early September. After he's sentenced he will be placed on the Sex Offender's Register.