JOHN KEARNS SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN FERNS, CO WEXFORD

In May 2012, John Kearns, a 49-year-old man from Ferns in County Wexford, was handed down a significant prison sentence after being convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault involving a young girl. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing history of abuse dating back to the mid-1990s, with Kearns found guilty on three separate charges.

John Kearns, residing at Coolatore in Ferns, faced the Wexford Circuit Criminal Court where a jury unanimously convicted him of sexually assaulting the girl on three occasions. The assaults took place during the summers of 1995 and 1996, when the girl was just seven and eight years old, respectively. The incidents occurred within a mobile home in Ferns, a residence that Kearns shared with the girl’s older sister, who was his partner at the time.

The court heard that during the summer of 1995, the girl was staying in the mobile home for a six-day period. She was sleeping alone in a small, spare bedroom while her sister and Kearns occupied the other room. During this stay, Kearns entered her room at some point, and she awoke to find him with his hands under her clothing and on her private parts. This distressing event happened twice during her stay, with the girl recounting that she was asleep when the incidents occurred.

The following summer, in 1996, the girl returned to the mobile home. By this time, the partition between the two rooms had been removed, and she was sleeping in the same room as her sister and Kearns. She described waking up to find Kearns with his hands on her private parts once again, while her sister and his niece slept nearby. The girl’s account was corroborated by her testimony, which she provided to the Gardaí in 2007, more than a decade after the incidents.

Throughout the trial, the victim’s testimony was clear and consistent, leading the jury to find Kearns guilty on all three counts. Defense counsel, Colman Cody, BL, acknowledged the gravity of the offences and expressed that Kearns now recognized the seriousness of his actions. He also conveyed an apology from Kearns to the victim and her family, emphasizing that the offences occurred under unusual circumstances and requesting leniency in sentencing.

Judge Teehan described the offences as among the most serious, emphasizing the vulnerability of the young girl involved. The judge sentenced Kearns to eight years in prison, with seven of those years suspended. Specifically, he sentenced Kearns to four years on each of the first two counts, to run concurrently, and an additional four years on the third count, which was ordered to run consecutively. The court also ordered that the final six years of the sentence be suspended, and Kearns was directed to serve his sentence in an open prison environment. An appeal against the sentence was refused by the court, confirming the severity and appropriateness of the punishment handed down.