DANIEL BLANEY OF PORTADOWN SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Portadown, Daniel Patrick Blaney, aged 33, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 12 years by Craigavon Crown Court for a series of heinous crimes involving the sexual abuse of young children. The court also imposed a lifelong ban on Blaney having any unsupervised contact with minors, emphasizing the severity of his offenses and the danger he poses to society.

Judge Patrick Markey QC, presiding over the case, expressed his condemnation of Blaney’s actions, describing the “extreme indignities” inflicted upon his victims. The judge made it clear that such acts warranted “severe punishment,” reflecting the gravity of the crimes committed. In addition to the prison sentence, Blaney was ordered to remain on the police sex offenders register for the rest of his life, a measure designed to monitor and restrict his movements and interactions with children.

The crimes for which Blaney was convicted date back to October and November of 2005. His first known victim, an 11-year-old boy, was assaulted in October 2005, an attack that the young boy later described as “like a knife to the heart.” The court heard that Blaney also sexually molested a nine-year-old boy in the same month. The most disturbing incident involved Blaney raping another 11-year-old boy twice in a single night in November 2005, during which he threatened the child with death if he disclosed the abuse.

Blaney, who resides at Charles Street in Portadown, did not offer any mitigation during the proceedings. He pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault, although he initially claimed innocence to probation officers and his legal team, feeling compelled to “come off record.” The prosecution’s case was built on the testimony of the victims and evidence collected during police investigations.

Prosecutor David McDowell outlined the disturbing details of the offenses. He stated that the first victim believed Blaney had planned the assault, as Blaney had told him he intended to do the same to the other two boys. Regarding the second victim, a nine-year-old boy, McDowell explained that Blaney had thrown him onto a bed, covered his face, and sexually assaulted him while threatening violence if he told anyone. The third victim, an 11-year-old boy, was forcibly dragged into Blaney’s bedroom, punched, ordered to strip, and raped. During this attack, the boy attempted to scream but was struck in the mouth, and later that same evening, Blaney raped him again, further threatening his life.

Following his arrest, Blaney was interviewed by police but denied the allegations, claiming that two other individuals he named had been responsible for the abuse. The court also noted that Blaney had a prior conviction for indecent assault from his teenage years, involving the molestation of another boy, which the judge described as indicative of a “longstanding propensity” for such behavior.

In delivering his sentence, Judge Markey expressed hope that, if Blaney completes the community sex offenders program as part of his probation, he might no longer pose a danger to young children and adolescents. The case has left a lasting impact on the community of Portadown, highlighting the importance of vigilance and the need for stringent measures to protect vulnerable minors from predators like Daniel Blaney.