PETER CORCORAN OF CO. DONEGAL SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS FOR CHILD ABUSE IN DONEGAL AND DUBLIN

In a harrowing case that has shocked the community of Co. Donegal, Peter Corcoran, aged 41, from Dunmore, Falcarragh, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a series of heinous crimes involving the sexual abuse of young children over a span of 16 years. The abuse, which began when Corcoran was just 15 years old, involved seven victims, some as young as seven years old, and extended across both Donegal and Dublin.

Corcoran pleaded guilty before the Central Criminal Court to a total of 15 charges, including indecent assault, sexual assault, and rape, with offenses dating from 1984 to 2000. The charges detailed a disturbing pattern of abuse, which included two counts of anal and oral rape. The court was informed that Corcoran faced a total of 183 counts related to the abuse of five male and two female victims.

Justice Paul Carney, presiding over the case, acknowledged the severity of the crimes and sentenced Corcoran to 15 years for the rape counts. However, he ultimately imposed a 12-year sentence, with the final three years suspended on the condition that Corcoran maintain a lifelong distance from the victims. The judge highlighted Corcoran’s guilty pleas, remorse, and the fact that many of the offenses occurred while he was legally considered a child himself, which influenced the sentencing decision.

During the court proceedings, a victim who was only seven years old when Corcoran molested him while Corcoran was on temporary prison release delivered a powerful victim impact statement. The man described how the abuse had left him serving a metaphorical life sentence, losing trust in his parents and withdrawing into himself. He recounted how he did not disclose the abuse earlier because he believed no one would believe a child. The trauma led him to substance abuse, including drinking and cannabis use, which eventually resulted in selling drugs and incarceration. He revealed that he has attempted suicide multiple times and now takes medication for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In his statement, the victim expressed feelings of dirtiness and emotional deadness, stating, “I used to cry myself to sleep. I always felt dirty and still do to this day. I feel like I am dead inside and have done for a long time… I feel like I’m living a life sentence.”

Detective Garda Bosco Gallagher provided details of the abuse, revealing that the first victim, aged eight at the time, was forced to perform oral sex on Corcoran, who was 15 then. Corcoran continued abusing her for six years. He also began abusing her brother in 1986, attempting anal sex with the 10-year-old in front of a friend, and abusing that friend on the same occasions. The first victim to report the abuse did so in 2010 after confronting Corcoran on New Year’s Eve 2009.

In his victim impact statement, the man told Corcoran, “You smiled. It was that condescending smile that gave me the stamina to make a statement. It was only then that I learned you had abused my brother and two of my sisters.”

Another victim, who was seven when Corcoran began molesting her in 1987, when Corcoran was 18, also suffered abuse. He later molested her eight-year-old brother. Corcoran was on temporary prison release in 1992 when he began abusing the seven-year-old boy, continuing for six years.

The final victim recounted that Corcoran, at age 17, forced him to perform oral sex on a daily basis.

Patrick Gageby SC, defending Corcoran, stated that his client had shown genuine remorse and believed he could be rehabilitated. He mentioned that Corcoran was a carer for his sick mother and that he only has supervised access to his children due to these offenses.

One victim shared that she confided in her husband about the abuse before their wedding, and they asked Corcoran to stay away. She described how Corcoran’s appearance at the church on her wedding day devastated her, as he insisted on sitting at a table reserved for family, further traumatizing her.