Applause as NI man is jailed

There were emotional scenes in Armagh Crown Court yesterday when a 40-year-old Co Down man was jailed for three years on charges…

There were emotional scenes in Armagh Crown Court yesterday when a 40-year-old Co Down man was jailed for three years on charges of sexually abusing his sister, four nephews and two nieces.

The victims and their families, who thronged the public gallery, stood up and applauded as the father of two was taken from the dock by prison officers to begin his sentence.

Sentencing the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, Judge John Petrie told, him he had treated his young relatives in a disgraceful fashion. The man pleaded guilty to 27 charges involving indecent assault and gross indecency spanning a 15-year period from January 1972.