Paul Healy The parents of a Co. Roscommon man who was indecently assaulted by a neighbour over the course of a number of years have strongly criticised the sentence imposed on the perpetrator. At Tuesday’s sitting of Roscommon Circuit Court a County Roscommon man found guilty by a jury of buggering and indecently assaulting a young neighbour was sentenced to three years imprisonment. The victim, who is now a 31-year-old Garda, was a child aged five or six years of age at the time the indecent assaults began. The perpetrator is seven years older than the victim. He pleaded not guilty. The mother of the victim told the Roscommon People that she wished to speak out against a sentence which she said was ‘far too lenient.’ ‘This sentence is far too lenient and is no deterrent to stopping others from abusing. This man showed no remorse. He destroyed our son’s life and our lives.’ The victim’s mother said that victims are not getting justice from the judicial system. Conclusion The victim’s father said that the family were pleased that the court case had come to a conclusion but they were disappointed with ‘the ‘very lenient’ sentence imposed by Judge Miriam Reynolds. In her judgement, Judge Reynolds said that she had to construct a sentence in proportion to the criminal actions. She noted that the matter was fully contested by the defendant and the injured party was put through the ordeal of giving evidence.
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