SEAN DALY SHOCKS DUNGANNON AND CO DOWN WITH HORRIFIC SEX OFFENCES AGAINST UNDERAGE GIRLS

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Dungannon and Co Down, Sean Daly, aged 43, has been sentenced to over nine and a half years in prison for a disturbing series of sexual offences involving underage girls. The crimes, which spanned from December 2003 to March 2005, were committed in the Dungannon area and involved multiple acts of abuse that have left a lasting impact on the victims.

Sean Daly was found guilty by a jury at Omagh Crown Court on June 27 of seven counts of gross indecency with or towards a female child, three charges of indecent assault on a female child, and three counts of indecent assault on a female. Despite the conviction, Daly continues to deny all allegations, maintaining his innocence throughout the proceedings.

The victim, who was between 14 and 15 years old at the time of the abuse, first encountered Daly at a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) game during the summer of 2002, when she was only 12 years old. The court heard that the initial charges included an act of gross indecency on Christmas Day in 2002, but Daly was acquitted of this particular charge. Judge Melody McReynolds, presiding over the case, noted that the jury had given Daly the “benefit of the doubt,” accepting that he had his eyes closed during the alleged act in front of the young girl.

As the case progressed, the court detailed how the offences escalated in severity. The initial seven incidents, occurring between December 2003 and December 2004, involved sexual acts performed at the side of the victim’s bed. These acts later intensified, with Daly committing indecent assaults and acts of gross indecency inside the girl’s parental bedroom and bed. Evidence revealed that Daly would send text messages instructing the girl to come to her bedroom, where he would carry out the abuse.

The offences continued to grow more serious between December 2004 and December 2005, culminating in the first act of sexual intercourse when the girl was just 15 years old. The court heard that sexual acts also took place on a pull-out bed in a living room, and up to ten incidents were recounted in a spare room within the house. The final conviction involving this girl was for an act of gross indecency in a Dublin hotel, a charge that the judge accepted could be considered as part of the case despite occurring outside the jurisdiction.

In addition to the abuse of the primary victim, Daly was convicted of two counts of gross indecency involving two other teenage girls aged between 16 and 17. These incidents occurred during a birthday party at Daly’s home between February 22, 2004, and March 26, 2005, where the girls were subjected to a sex act performed in front of a mirror in a bedroom.

Furthermore, the court revealed that Daly had a history of indecent exposure, having been convicted twice for such offences in the six years prior to the recent charges. The judge described the case as a “breach of trust” involving a “very troubled, vulnerable and damaged young woman.”

Sentencing Daly, Judge McReynolds divided the offences into six categories, imposing a series of sentences that culminated in a total of nine years and six months behind bars. The sentences included nine months for the initial gross indecency charges, 30 months for a combination of gross indecency and indecent assault, and additional terms for the more serious offences, including three years for the most severe sexual assaults carried out in 2004 and 2005. An extra nine months was added for the offence committed in Dublin.

In addition to his prison sentence, Daly was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, and he was added to the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s barred list for adults and children. He is now legally prohibited from working with children, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the need to protect vulnerable individuals from potential harm.