Child sex abuser not to be named, judge orders

A South Dublin music teacher who sexually abused two pupils is to remain at liberty, but Judge Kieran O'Connor has again refused…

A South Dublin music teacher who sexually abused two pupils is to remain at liberty, but Judge Kieran O'Connor has again refused to lift an order banning the media from identifying him.

The father of one girl had appealed for the ban to be lifted because his daughter feared that the 65-year-old defendant might sexually abuse other children.

Mr George Birmingham SC, prosecuting at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, also told Judge O'Connor that he was not acting in accordance with legislation on sexual offences.

Mr Birmingham said the legislation allowed a judge to ban any media material which could identify a victim of sexual abuse against their will. In this case, the victims for the second time had requested that the defendant be named.

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Judge O'Connor said he would keep the ban in place for the sake of the man's son, who should not have to suffer for his father's sins. He said medical and teachers' reports showed that the son had suffered great stress since his father's conviction.

He also ordered the destruction of a photograph of the defendant taken by one of victims' fathers in the Four Courts. The victim's father said he took it for his own record and had since sent it to a shop to be processed.

Judge O'Connor ordered him to hand over the receipt and also ordered a garda to go to the shop to destroy the film.

The defendant pleaded guilty in November 1998 to three charges of sexually assaulting the girls, then aged eight and nine, on dates in 1994 and 1995. He was jailed for three years but released on sentence review in December 1999 and was back before the court for further review of sentence.

Judge O'Connor told him he could remain free if he continued attending counselling at the Granada Institute, a centre for sex offenders. He warned the defendant he would be returned to jail if he broke the conditions of his release which included that he live in an area away from his former residence. He is also to avoid any contact whatever with the victims.

Ms Mary Ellen Ring (with Mr Michael McMahon SC), defending, said the defendant's family had moved house as intimated previously to the court.