SENTENCING has been delayed for the only person – to date – that has stood trial as part of the Fermanagh sexual abuse scandal.
Gerard Augustine Quaile (58) from Creamery Close, Florencecourt faced charges on seven counts of indecent assault, six of which related to one female child and the remainder to a second female child.
Offending occurred over various dates between 1980 and 1985.
Quaile denied all charges but following a trial lasting just over a week at Dungannon Crown Court, the jury returned a majority verdict on four counts, relating to one victim, but cleared him of the remaining three charges.
In evidence, the victim said the abuse began when she was about 12-years-old and occurred on a regular basis. She claimed Quaile began by carrying out sex acts on himself, then had her do this for him.
This progressed to him getting the girl to lie on top of him while naked.
Quaile warned her not to tell anyone, convincing her she would get the blame.
While the victim made a video-recorded interview in 2019, the court heard she previously reported the abuse to police in 2014.
However, a decision was taken not to proceed with any action against Quaile. She decided to go back to police in 2019 after reading newspaper articles about historic sexual abuse being reported.
In cross-examination, defence counsel reiterated Quaile’s denials and queried why go to a newspaper and not police, as well as pointing to discrepancies in the frequency of the abuse.
The victim repeated she had read of other similar instances and decided to tell her story, albeit under a false identity.
She set out how the trauma of abuse never leaves and nobody can understand this unless they have been through it, adding lives are destroyed.
She accepted some of the dates were wrong but recalled she was in her school uniform when the abuse started.
In regard to differences around the frequency of abuse, she accepted her 2014 statement said it was around twice a month, but later claimed it was more often.
Gerard Augustine Quaile (58) from Creamery Close, Florencecourt faced charges on seven counts of indecent assault, six of which related to one female child and the remainder to a second female child.
Offending occurred over various dates between 1980 and 1985.
Quaile denied all charges but following a trial lasting just over a week at Dungannon Crown Court, the jury returned a majority verdict on four counts, relating to one victim, but cleared him of the remaining three charges.
In evidence, the victim said the abuse began when she was about 12-years-old and occurred on a regular basis. She claimed Quaile began by carrying out sex acts on himself, then had her do this for him.
This progressed to him getting the girl to lie on top of him while naked.
Quaile warned her not to tell anyone, convincing her she would get the blame.
While the victim made a video-recorded interview in 2019, the court heard she previously reported the abuse to police in 2014.
However, a decision was taken not to proceed with any action against Quaile. She decided to go back to police in 2019 after reading newspaper articles about historic sexual abuse being reported.
In cross-examination, defence counsel reiterated Quaile’s denials and queried why go to a newspaper and not police, as well as pointing to discrepancies in the frequency of the abuse.
The victim repeated she had read of other similar instances and decided to tell her story, albeit under a false identity.
She set out how the trauma of abuse never leaves and nobody can understand this unless they have been through it, adding lives are destroyed.
She accepted some of the dates were wrong but recalled she was in her school uniform when the abuse started.
In regard to differences around the frequency of abuse, she accepted her 2014 statement said it was around twice a month, but later claimed it was more often.
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