Former Cork scout leader ‘absolutely destroyed us and our families’ says victim

A FORMER scout leader was described yesterday by the victims of his sexual assaults more than 30 years ago as an ‘animal’ and a ‘monster’ and they expressed the hope that justice would be done.

Judge Helen Boyle jailed Michael Noel Sheehan, aged 78, of Chimneyfields, Glenville, County Cork, for four years, saying that at events that should have been fun and an adventure, “they were preyed upon by you when you were in charge of their welfare”.

The 78-year-old still refuses to accept any wrongdoing and rejects the unanimous decision of the jury, who found him guilty of indecently or sexually assaulting five boy scouts.

Through defence senior counsel, Ray Boland, Mr Sheehan complained about sharing a cell with two men in Cork prison who smoke. Prisons are one of the few places where the smoking ban does not apply.

Four of the five victims of the scout leader’s sexual abuse spoke of the devastating effect that it had on their lives.

Three resorted to drink or drugs and some of them self-harmed.

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT

They read their victim-impact evidence in court, while the report from the fifth victim was handed in to the judge as he was not present for the sentencing.

The first young man said that the scouting motto of ‘Bí ullamh’, or ‘Be prepared’, was ironic as nothing could have prepared him for what happened at the hands of Sheehan on overnights for scouting weekends.

“The shame I felt was torture. I did not want to have a child (when he got married) in case something similar happened to the child.

“He tried to intimidate me in the corridors of the court house, standing in front of me with a smirk of arrogance — like a predator circling his prey — not getting a reaction no matter how much he poked the bear,” the victim said.

He said he would not have a marriage or a job if he did not get counselling for his issues with authority figures.

This led to therapy, for which he is very grateful. He said he was glad to present the victim impact statement for his childhood self who was abused by Sheehan.

The second victim was also sexually abused between the ages of 10 and 12 on scouting weekends.

Generally, the sexual abuse took the form of the defendant putting his hand inside the child’s sleeping bag and fondling their genital area, inside or outside their clothing.

“I felt frightened and ashamed and became very isolated. I turned to drink and drugs. (In court) seeing that animal for the first time since the abuse, making us out to be troublemakers,” he said.

As with some of the other victims, this man blamed his own parents also for what Sheehan did to him, and felt they should have known or should have intervened.

The third man said he first made a complaint against the defendant 20 years ago but the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) decided not to prosecute.

He said he was contacted again by the gardaí in 2021. After some consideration he decided that he would renew his complaint in the hope that it would protect children in the community. “He has been slipping through the hands of the criminal justice system for far too long,” he said.

The fourth man said his life had been destroyed and that he turned to alcohol at the age of 13 so that “drink would help me with all these demons in my head”.

Instead he got into more addictions to drugs and found himself going in and out of prison over the years.

“I hope this monster gets what he deserves for what he done to me and the other kids. He absolutely destroyed us and our families,” he said.

He was convicted by the unanimous decision of a jury of four women and eight men on 16 counts of indecent assault.

He pleaded not guilty to 17 charges at the outset of a six-week trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court but on April 25 the jury told Judge Helen Boyle that they were unanimous in finding him guilty on 16 charges. A formal disagreement was recorded in respect of one count only.

Judge Boyle remanded the 78-year-old in jail for sentencing.

Prosecution barrister, Katherine McGillycuddy, told the trial that Sheehan was a scout master for a troop of scouts in Cork in the late 1980s and that he used to take the boys in the troop away on camping weekends.

She said five complainants described being indecently or sexually assaulted by the touching and fondling of their private parts both inside and outside their clothing during these camping weekends.

The defendant had been charged with six counts of indecent assault against each of two of complainants, three counts of indecent assault in respect of another complainant and one count of indecent assault against each of the other two complainants.

Sheehan had denied all the offences which occurred when his victims were aged between 10 and 13 at a scout hall at Old Schoolhouse, Chimneyfields, Glenville, some at Mount Melleray, County Waterford, and one at Drishane Castle, Millstreet, Co Cork.

“I have unequivocal instructions that he does not accept the verdicts from the jury which precludes me from offering any remorse,” defence senior counsel Ray Boland said.

In February 2022 the same defendant was convicted of indecently assaulting a boy scout in similar circumstances back in the 1980s and he was given a two-year sentence with the last year suspended.

“These were all young boys, aged between 10 and 12. You were the leader of the scout troop and were the person in charge,” Judge Helen Boyle said of indecent assaults on five young boys.

“Events that should have been fun and adventure. Instead they were preyed upon by you when you were in charge of their welfare. Parents entitled to believe their children were safe,” she said.

“The only person to blame is you.”

Judge Boyle said Sheehan was in a position of trust and abused that trust. She imposed a total sentence of four and a half years and suspended the last six months.

The judge commended the bravery of the victims for coming forward and the eloquence of their victim impact statements.