Man jailed for six years for sexual abuse of his neighbour 50 years ago
Isabel Hayes
A 76-year-old Limerick man who repeatedly groped and sexually abused a young girl when they were neighbours more than 50 years ago has been jailed for six years.
Tom White had regular access to the girl's house and repeatedly touched her inappropriately and subjected her to lewd commentary and physical abuse, the Central Criminal Court heard.
White went on to marry, had three children and never came to garda attention in the intervening 50 years, his sentence hearing was told.
His victim wished for White to be named but wanted to maintain her anonymity, Judge Eileen Creedon was told.
White, of Brookhaven, Montpelier, Co Limerick was found guilty by a jury of ten counts of indecent assault of the girl at her home and his home in Limerick on dates between August 1971 and August 1976 following a trial earlier this year.
He was acquitted of a number of other counts on the indictment.
It is a charge that carries a maximum sentence of two years, Philipp Rahn prosecuting, told the court. The complainant was aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the offence, while White was in his 20s.
Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Creedon said White was an adult at the time of the offending who had easy and unquestioned access to the girl's home, where she should have been safe.
He engaged in a “persistent violation of trust” by abusing her in her home and made “rude, lewd and nasty comments” about her body in the course of this abuse, the judge noted.
She commended the complainant for the courage and honesty of her statement and the dignity she showed throughout the process.
The judge set a headline sentence of 10 years, which she reduced to six years taking into account mitigating factors including his age, health issues, lack of previous convictions and the long intervening period since these crimes were committed.
Detective Garda Claire Lewis previously told the court that White had regular access to the complainant's house as his mother did some work for the girl's family. The girl was terrified of both White and his mother, the court heard.
White regularly made lewd comments to the girl, commenting on her figure. He first assaulted her when she was sent over to his house to check on a meal that was being cooked.
White grabbed her from behind and groped her before “pumping” her from behind through her clothes, the court heard.
The girl was “dumbfounded, shocked and frightened”, the court heard. The abuse continued in a similar vein, with White regularly groping the girl both over and underneath her clothing.
The abuse occurred several times a week and was described as “opportunistic”. He was also physically abusive towards her.
At trial, which was held in Limerick, the complainant's brother and sister also gave evidence of witnessing White engage in the abuse. It came to an end when the young woman moved out of her home at the age of 16.
In her victim impact statement, which was read out by counsel, the woman said every part of her life was impacted by the “horror” she endured at the hands of White.
“I was a happy child with all the innocence that goes with childhood,” she said. “My childhood ended when my abuser invaded my home, my body, my mind and every part of my being. It shaped my life over the next 50 years.”
She said she was unable to tell anyone what happened to her and in a message for other victims of abuse she said: “You have a voice. Don't be afraid to tell anybody.”
Mark Nicholas, defending, said his client was found not guilty of a number of counts against him. He has a long work history and has been married for about 50 years. He has a number of health issues, including heart problems.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
