STEPHEN-LEE MCILVENNY FROM BELFAST SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN CRAIGAVON

On Friday, March 7th, a significant legal development took place at Craigavon Crown Court involving the case of Stephen-Lee McIlvenny, a 21-year-old man from West Belfast. The court handed down a severe sentence, sentencing McIlvenny to 23 years in prison after he was found guilty of committing an extensive series of child sexual abuse crimes. The charges against him totaled 77, encompassing a range of heinous offenses including rape, inciting or causing sexual activity with a child aged between 13 and 16, and sexual assault by penetration.

In addition to his custodial sentence, McIlvenny was ordered to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, a measure designed to monitor and restrict his activities following his release. Furthermore, he will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for a period of ten years, which imposes strict conditions aimed at preventing any further offending behavior.

The court heard that McIlvenny systematically befriended his victims by exploiting shared interests, which allowed him to gain their trust. His victims were notably several years younger than him, with the offenses occurring when he was between 16 and 19 years old. Among his victims were three young boys aged 14 and 15, who fell prey to his manipulative tactics.

Investigations revealed that McIlvenny employed a disturbing and elaborate deception to control his victims. He falsely claimed that he was also a victim of sexual abuse and that he was being coerced into performing intimate acts and filming them. Using this fabricated narrative, he blackmailed and coerced the boys into compliance, maintaining an iron grip over them through fear and intimidation. It was later established that McIlvenny was never under threat himself; instead, he was the perpetrator, abusing these boys for his own perverted gratification and recording the acts for his personal pleasure.

His tactics extended to threats of exposing the victims on social media if they refused to comply with his demands. These threats, along with other coercive methods, ensured that the victims remained under his control. When some of the boys attempted to distance themselves from him, McIlvenny escalated his abuse by assaulting one of them on the street, causing serious injuries.

Detective Inspector Nikki Deehan from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Public Protection Branch expressed her views on the case, stating, “We welcome today’s sentencing. McIlvenny is a child predator who brutally sexually exploited his young victims and inflicted long-lasting trauma.” The case highlights the disturbing extent of his manipulative and predatory behavior, and the justice served aims to prevent him from harming others in the future.