A FERMANAGH has been jailed today for historic sex abuse of a child dating back to the 1980s.
Gerard Augustine Quaile (60) from Creamery Close, Florencecourt faced seven counts of indecent assault, six of which related to one female child and the remainder to a second female child.
Offending occurred between 1980 and 1985.
He 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, clearing him of the rest.
The abuse began when the victim was about 12-years-old and occurred on a regular basis, involving Quaile carrying sex acts on himself then have her do this for him.
This progressed to him having her to lie on top of him while naked.
Quaile warned her against telling anyone convincing her she would get the blame.
She recalled during one instance she shouted out “but no-one reacted” and continues to believe “someone must have heard.”
The victim made a video-recorded interview in 2019, although previously made a statement to police in,2014, but no action was taken against Quaile.
In the latter interview which led to the charges, the complainant accepted some parts of her 2014 statement were different due to embarrassment as she couldn’t bring herself to fully describe the extent of what occurred as, “I felt so dirty, so ashamed and so filthy that this had happened.”
She described her devastation on learning police were not prepared to investigate Qualie in 2014.
After reading a newspaper article in 2019 about historic sexual abuse which was reported but got nowhere, she decided to go back to police.
Defence counsel enquired why on deciding to speak out in 2019 she had chosen to go to a newspaper which was then followed up with police.
The victim repeated she had read of other similar instances and decided to tell her story, albeit under a false identity.
The defence put it to the victim that she “conspired” with the other complainant to bolster each other’s story and put forward a combined case against Quaile, by both going to the newspapers in 2019 and then to police.
This was rejected outright with the victim firmly stating, “I know my truth.”
Quaile repeatedly denied any abuse ever occurred and he could think of no reason why the victim would have created the claims against him.
However the jury did not accept this in terms of four counts, finding him guilty by majority verdict.
He was cleared on the remaining matters.
Judge Richard Greene remanded him and custody to await the preparation of pre-sentence reports.
After a number of delays Quaile appeared today (Friday) for sentencing at which Judge Greene remarked, “The victim was vulnerable by age and exposed to a predatory older male who Relied on her fear not to tell anyone. She had the courage and strength to come forward and speak of what happened and she is to be commended for that.”
Noting Quaile continues to deny the offences, the judge stated, “I vividly recall the victim’s evidence in which she said on a number of occasions she was left feeling dirty and ashamed. She also said she knew her truth and the jury verdicts vindicate her entirely.”
Quaile was jailed for a total of three years and two months and will remain on the Sex Offender Register for life.
A Sexual Offences Prevention Order may also be applied or however the terms of this had not been presented to the court at the sentencing hearing.
Judge Greene listed this for finalisation on 30 April.
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