Child abuser (79) is sent to prison

Enniskillen Magistrates Court

A CONVICTED child molester was back in court this week for breaching his sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).
John James O’Rourke, of Drumguff Cottage, Derrylin Road in Lisnaskea, who is 79-years-old, appeared before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday. He was charged with failing to notify police of an overnight stay in Bundoran under the terms of his SOPO.
In November 2012, O’Rourke was sentenced to three years in prison but served half of the sentence in custody before being released to spend 18 months on licence. He was also ordered to participate in a Sex Offenders Programme and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 20 years.
He had been charged with indecently assaulting a female child and committing an act of gross indecency with her between February 27, 1984, and February 28, 1988.
The pensioner denied all the charges against him when he was originally arraigned in May 2012. It was not until a jury was sworn in and the case ready to go to trial in Dungannon that he applied to be re-arraigned and admitted all charges.
At Monday’s hearing, District Judge Nigel Broderick was told that O’Rourke had breached his order from 3rd -5th June by staying at a caravan in Bundoran.
Defence solicitor Tony McGettigan told the court that O’Rourke’s wife is in residential care suffering from dementia and his client had forgotten about the order when he decided to take her away for a few days.
“He thought it was a good idea to give his wife a break in Bundoran and he went down there to get the caravan ready as it hadn’t been used for some time. It was a genuine and honest mistake and purely accidental- the order didn’t come into his mind. It will never happen again as the caravan has since been sold,” Mr McGettigan added.
The judge noted that O’Rourke had breached the order once before: “It’s an important order and any breach must be treated as a serious matter. Prior approval should have been sought and I find it difficult to believe that he forgot,” he said.
O’Rourke was sentenced to four months in jail but bail was fixed at £500 with leave to appeal.