One victim described the abuse as “ritual”, and the defendant while he was her scout leader, buying her sweets, then on occasions, driving her to his work place to commit sexual activity.

James Desmond McNamee (72) of Bunneil, accepted 15 counts of indecent assault and five of gross indecency. The offences occurred at two separate times, ten years apart and involved two female children.

A long-term employee of the Water Service, offending first occurred between 1976 and 1978 in which one victim was indecently assaulted on four occasions.

There were 11 counts of indecent assault against the second victim from 1987 until 1990, then several gross indecencies from 1989 and 1993.

Dungannon Crown Court heard the first child spent time in the area of McNamee’s home, and the abuse began with inappropriate touching which led on to to more sinister acts, at any possible opportunity.

She recalled staying at McNamee’s home, around the time she made her First Holy Communion, making her around seven. The victim was sleeping when she was awoken by a sharp pain and realised McNamee was in bed with her, touching her inappropriately. This incident was repeated later the same year.

The second victim suffered abuse whilst McNamee was her scout leader in Donagh, County Fermanagh, and he would sexually abuse her by inappropriate touching. He gave her adult lingerie to wear and made her watch pornographic films.

This victim recalled McNamee would drive her to scouts, during which he would touch her sexually. 

She described “a ritual” developing when McNamee would drive her and some other scouts to a shop on Saturdays. He would buy them sweets, then sometimes drive to the Water Service premises in Lisnaskea, which he could access at any time.

Whilst the others played, McNamee took the victim into a building, where he would have her perform sexual acts on him. Other conduct which took place in these instances is too graphic to report.

On another occasion, McNamee produced a bag of adult lingerie and ordered the child to put it on. He then urinated on the floor in front of her and told her to carry out a sexual act on him. 

Defence counsel told the court his client accepted the charges which had spared the victims the distress of a trial. 

He said the offending behaviour occurred in McNamee’s thirties and there was nothing prior to that or since.  It was pointed out as well as a long employment history, McNamee umpired football matches and carried out in charitable work for children in Chernobyl.

Counsel concluded, “It is clear the victims have suffered substantially from my client’s behaviour and it is to be hoped the guilty pleas have brought some degree of closure.”

Judge Stephen Fowler QC said, “This offending was profound violation of two young children, at a vulnerable age…. I consider the impact on them as significant …. This was an invasive series of sexual offences over a prolonged period of time.”

He sentenced McNamee to eight years imprisonment, with the final two to be spent on supervised licence.

A Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) was imposed and McNamee has been placed on the Sex Offender Register.