November 2020 Belfast man pleads guilty to child sexual offences A 32-year-old ex-boxer from Belfast has been jailed for six years and three months after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a child. The incident took place in June 2019, when Ciaran McAuley dragged the schoolboy down an alleyway. He then sexually assaulted and threatened him. McAuley appeared at Belfast Crown Court on Monday where he was deemed a “dangerous offender”. The court was told he had just been released from custody for similar offences when he targeted his victim. Judge Stephen Fowler also imposed an additional period of six years on licence, and said the extended sentence was appropriate to protect the public from further offending. The convicted offender later told a probation officer that he felt attracted to the schoolboy and ‘chose’ to offend. McAuley attended court via a video link with Maghaberry prison, where he pleaded guilty to seven offences. The offences included an adult causing or inciting a child between 13 and 16 to engage in sexual activity; sexual activity by an adult with a child between 13 and 16, and breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. The incident happened at around 7pm on June 21 2019, when the boy had been walking along the Ormeau Road. The 14-year-old was in his school uniform and had been listening to music on his earphones when he was approached by McAuley, who then dragged him into the alleyway. Mr Henry said the scared schoolboy was crying and started hyperventilating, with McAuley telling him to “be quiet or I’ll hurt you”. McAuley then forced sexual activity and later kissed the boy on the cheek and threatened to kill him if he told anyone about what had happened. The prosecutor said the schoolboy contacted his family who then collected him from Ormeau Road and informed the PSNI. Police attended the nearby hostel which houses sex offenders and after speaking to staff, McAuley was arrested and admitted his guilt. After hearing of the defendant’s previous criminal records for similar offences against children, Judge Fowler described McAuley as a “repeat offender” who was “sexually attracted to children” and who displayed “persistence and determination”. The sicko — who represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 — received a two-year sentence in 2015 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy. He attacked the youngster in an alleyway in north Belfast in August 2014 as he and a friend walked from a funfair. The paedo also received an additional one-year sentence in 2016 after he pleaded guilty to sending a 13-year-old boy naked images of his body parts. McAuley was also convicted after he admitted a grooming offence which dated back to 2014, when parents of an 11 year old boy had made complaints to police about him. As he passed sentence, Judge Fowler cited the alleyway incident as a “serious attack on a child by a persistent paedophile”. He deemed McAuley as dangerous due to the risks he posed to the public and said “it is clear he is sexually attracted to young boys and is unable to control these feelings”. As McAuley has been deemed dangerous, he will not be automatically released on licence after completing half his sentence. Instead, he will be assessed by the Parole Commissioners, and may not be suitable for release until he has served the whole term. Once released, he will spend an additional period of six years on licence and will be subject to recall to prison during that period. April 2019 Gardai on high alert as paedophile moves location Gardai are on high alert after learning a paedophile ex-boxer who attacked a ­nine-year-old boy in Belfast has moved South of the border Ciaran James McAuley has moved to Dundalk over fears he would be targeted by vigilantes in his native Belfast. And McAuley, 29, is being closely monitored by gardai as part of the conditions of his release from custody in the North. An alert has also been sent out to all Garda stations warning officers that he’s now living in Co Louth. He will be on the sex offenders register here until 2025. As part of the conditions of his release, he also has to notify gardai of his ­whereabouts. A source said: “McAuley is on his own after leaving Belfast and has decided to create a new life for himself in Co Louth. “He’s regarded as a dangerous predator because of his previous convictions and officers will be keeping a very close eye on him. “He has been trying to integrate with others in Dundalk but there’s no suggestion he has been approaching any children. “McAuley committed very serious crimes against children and that’s why he will be closely monitored.” The sicko — who represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 — received a two-year sentence in 2015 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy. He attacked the youngster in an alleyway in north Belfast in August 2014 as he and a friend walked from a funfair. At his trial, Judge Gordon Kerr described McAuley as “dangerous with a high risk of re-offending”. The fiend also received an additional one-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to sending a 13-year-old boy naked images of his body parts. August 2016 Paedophile former boxer back in the dock A former champion boxer from Ardoyne jailed last year for a sex attack on a nine-year-old boy will be sentenced next week after admitting to separate charges of sending naked pictures of himself to a 13-year-old boy via the internet. Ciaran James McAuley, 27, who is serving a two-year sentence in Maghaberry for attacking the primary school boy in a New Lodge alleyway on August 9, 2014 as he and a friend walked home from a fun fair, appeared in Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday after he admitted two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard that as well as sending a 13-year-old a picture of his penis, McAuley also asked the teenager to send him a photograph of his genitals. Both incidents occurred last April when McAuley was on bail over charges arising from the alleyway incident. McAuley, who at the time of the offences was living at a hostel in Belfast’s Victoria Street, targeted the 13-year-old on Facebook last April. Crown prosecutor Robin Steer said that his offending emerged at the end of April when the 13-year-old victim informed his parents that he had been contacted by a man who was demanding that he send him inappropriate pictures. In the first incident on April 7, the teen said the man in question claimed he was 19 and asked about football. He also asked the teenager if he was gay, as well as requesting that he send him a picture of his penis. On April 20, McAuley contacted the teenager again and on this occasion he send the youngster an image of himself naked from the waist down with his penis clearly visible. The teenager replied by saying, ‘You shouldn’t be sending that to a 13 year old boy.’ After the teenager informed his parents about what was happening, an investigation was launched and McAuley was subsequently arrested. During a series of police interviews, McAuley denied having a mobile phone, having a Facebook account and also denied sending pictures of his penis. Mr Steer told Judge Gordon Kerr QC that the offending last April occurred when he was on bail for the alleyway sex attack. Mr Steer also informed the court that the Probation Board has deemed McAuley to be dangerous, December 2015 Paedophile ex-boxer chased boy (9) down alley and sexually assaulted him Pictured in 2011 A former Commonwealth Games boxer sexually assaulted a nine-year-old boy after chasing him down an alley in north Belfast, a court heard yesterday. Ciaran James McAuley, who at the time of the offence was living at a hostel on the city’s Victoria Street, targeted the boy on the afternoon of August 9 last year. The 27-year-old, who has a sports coaching degree, admitted a single charge of sexually assaulting the youngster. The assault happened in the New Lodge area of the city after the youngster had attended a local funfair. Judge Kerr QC remanded McAuley back in to custody, and informed him he would be sentenced next Wednesday (16th).