Two Derry men sentenced following 2020 sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl
Judge Roseanne McCormick commends the victim's courage, noting the case's delay and full cooperation by the defendants
Two men who admitted engaging in a sexual threesome involving oral and vaginal sex when they and their female victim were aged fourteen in 2020 have been sentenced at Derry Crown Court.
Judge Roseanne McCormick told the two abusers, Lennon Crossan, 20 from Knockalla Park and Odhran McLaughlin, 20, from Lecky Road, that they'd engaged in opportunistic behaviour for their own sexual gratification which according to a Victim Impact Statement left the girl, who was one of their peer group, devastated and traumatised.
She said the offending occurred in October 2020, the first year of Covid, when the schools had been closed resulting in teenagers roaming unsupervised in an atmosphere of alcohol, drugs and of illegal sexual activity.
The defendants both pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity involving penetration with a female child.
They were sentenced to a three year Enhanced Combination Order and ordered to complete one hundred hours of community service.
They were also ordered to live only in an approved address for the duration of the Order, not to contact children under the age of sixteen unless it's approved by social services and not to enter into a relationship with under eighteen year olds without prior disclosure of their sexual offending.
A prosecution barrister told the Court that all three were together in a house where there was a gathering of teenagers.
The defendants then told their victim that they wanted a threesome and despite her refusal and her asking them to stop they penetrated her orally and vaginally.
"She said Lennon and Odhran said she wasn't leaving the room until they had a threesome", the prosecutor said.
"She on her account refused their suggestion. she said they continued to try to convince her.
"Her account was that she did ask them to stop and tried to leave the room but was prevented from leaving. She was unsure how long the sexual activity lasted.
Judge McCormick said the maximum sentence in the case was one of five years imprisonment. She said in imposing the Enhanced Combination Order she took into consideration the defendants' admissions, the fact that the case had been hanging over them for four years since the allegations were first made as well as the fact that both men had co-operated fully with the police investigation.
"I wish to commend the injured party in this case for her courage and clarity in continuing with this case. Victims in such cases sometimes feel the case is about the abusers. The interests of the injured party will always remain at the heart of the process. This was a very important case in that everyone involved in this case was a child at the time", she said.