Mayo farmer jailed for abusing teenage helper
Swinford man John Nolan (80) was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court
An 80-year-old man who has shown no remorse for sexually abusing a teenager on his farm was sentenced to four years imprisonment.
John Nolan of Derryronane, Swinford appeared before Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the boy on his farm in October 2018.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard that Mr Nolan has shown no remorse for what he did and as a result Judge Eoin Garavan sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
Facts in the case were heard in March where the court heard that the victim, who was a teenager, had agreed to help Mr Nolan on his farm.
Detective Garda Paula Griffin told the court that on the three occassions the sexual assault took place, the farmer would direct the boy to change into clothes he had given him to carry out the work. When he undressed, the man would direct him to lie on the bed and touch and rub the boy's penis.
Detective Garda Griffin said the boy's mother reported the incident after the boy complained that he did not want to return to the farm and described what happened to him. The boy complained to his mother that his penis was sore.
She explained that the boy was interviewed by specialist garda interviewers in Sligo Garda Station and relayed all this information to gardaí.
Mr Nolan was interviewed regarding the allegations after his arrest on April 25, 2019 and made no admissions to sexually assaulting the boy and claimed that the boy's uncle was always present but this was later disproved.
Detective Garda Griffin said that Mr Nolan claimed the allegations were 100 percent lies and all made up.
In March, Judge Garavan advised Mr Nolan to use his time wisely before sentencing was finalised but last week's hearing heard that he continues to show no remorse.
Judge Garavan was informed by Mr Colm Smyth, senior counsel for the defendant that his client has refused to accept he has done anything wrong. He added he has serious health issues including diabetes and chronic heart disease.
The court heard that the defendant has previous convictions for theft and possession of stolen property and is separated and lives in a caravan.
A victim impact statement on behalf of the young man was read out in court where he gave permission for Mr Nolan to be named publically. The victim said he felt lost, sick and angry as a result of the abuse and continues to suffer from anxiety and nightmares.
Judge Garavan said that Mr Nolan had shown ‘no remorse and no empathy’ and what he did was a complete breach of trust. He said the only mitigating factors he could take into account was the guilty plea.
He set a headline sentence of seven years but reduced it to five years on mitigation and suspended the final year of the sentence for a two year period.