Lough Derg worker duped women at pilgrimage site before vile sexual assaults

A Donegal man duped unsuspecting women into helping him fix appliances at a sacred Christian pilgrimage site before he sexually assaulted them. 

Tomas Gallagher fooled his five victims into thinking they were helping him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of revolting incidents at St Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg, a renowned religious setting.

The 42-year-old, of Rathanlacky, Dunkineely, preyed on the unsuspecting women who found themselves sexually assaulted. 

The father-of-one pleaded to a total of seven charges against five different women at St Patrick’s Pugratory - which was designated as a national pilgrimage site recently.

Details of the horrific plans hatched by Gallagher were outlined before Letterkenny Circuit Court.

He pleaded to six charges of sexual assault at St Patrick's Purgatory.

These offences are contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001.

He also pleaded that in the same period and location, he did attempt, by inviting, inducing, counselling or inciting a child to sexual touching. This offence is contrary to Section 4 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017.

The victims, who cannot be named to protect their identity, ranged in age from their early teens to more mature women.

Barrister for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL and investigating Garda Joanna Doherty outlined the gruesome details of the vile incidents.

All of the offences took place in 2022 when Gallagher worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat as well as driving a boat taking pilgrims to and from the island.

Statements given to Gardai by the victims told how Gallagher had approached them asking them to help him come into a laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines.

The statements outlined how the victims were asked to reach behind them into the machines while Gallagher fixed a “pipe”.

The women thought they were holding a pipe but instead they were gripping the accused man's penis.

On one occasion, Gallagher told one of his victims to twist the pipe like she was "revving a motorcycle."

Gallagher told another victim that the “pipe” would be soft and moist.

An older victim was approached by Gallagher who asked her to reach behind a dishwasher and hold a pipe but she "knew immediately it was no pipe”.

The shocked woman jumped back and shouted "what the f*** is that?"

The woman didn't tell anybody else about the incident that day but felt upset and did later tell her daughter about what had happened. 

On another occasion, Gallagher asked a young teenage girl to help him with a washing machine and asked her to hold a “pipe”. he told her to "hold it there" as he chatted to her about school.

Another teenager told in her statement how Gallagher asked him to assist her with a tumble dryer and told her to put her hand behind a wooden board and he got her to hold something. 

One young woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened which led to others coming forward making complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher.

Gallagher was interviewed by Gardai on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened.

During one interview with Detective Garda Paul McHugh, Gallagher admitted asking one woman to hold a pipe on a tumble dryer as it had been leaking.

He claimed the woman had got up and left for no apparent reason and he had been left nervous and embarrassed by the incident.

However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea.

Victim impact statements from three women were read out in court while two of the victims chose to read out their own statements.

One fought back tears as she told how despite being the victim she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened and often thinks about if she could have stopped this from happening to others.

She added that she often thinks about Gallagher's son and that she prays that he is safe.

Another victim said she feels vulnerable and intimidated by what had happened and that she is sorry that she did not speak up sooner but was afraid that people would laugh at her or not believe her.

The court heard from a woman who outlined that she failed exams as she became depressed after Gallagher's depraved on her.

However, she later completed her exams and was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further. She told how she still feels he stole something from her.

A teenage victim said she had to attend counselling because of anxiety and is now always on edge and simply cannot trust men. She decided not to come to court as she feared that seeing Gallagher again would trigger her anxiety.

Another woman, who now lives abroad and gave her evidence by video link, told how she lives in an apartment with a lift and if a man gets into the lift she can't stop thinking "what if?"

She said she realises that she should not tar all men with the same brush but Gallagher's attack had made her an angrier, wearier and a meaner person as a result.

She added that she feels disgusted by what had happened but sometimes feels glad that he had chosen her and that she had alerted the authorities to what was happening as she hated to think what number of victims there might have been.

Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he wanted to apologise to his victims.

He said he "truly regretted" his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families.

Asked by his barrister, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, if he realised this was a huge breach of trust, Gallagher replied that he did.

Gallagher revealed that he had engaged in 24 counselling sessions to better understand the impact his actions have had on others.

Mr Smyth, instructed by Mullaney Solicitors, said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions. He said Gallagher has lost his employment and has become a pariah in the local community because of the publicity surrounding the case.

He added the fact that the offences took place in a sacred place, a place of pilgrimage for christian people going back many centuries also had to be acknowledged.

Mr Smyth suggested to Judge John Aylmer that there also has to be "light at the end of the tunnel" for Gallagher and asked the judge to consider his client's remorse, his blameless life up until now and his guilty plea.

Judge Aylmer requested time to consider all matters and adjourned the case for final sentence to next week.