Bellaghy man convicted of indecent assaults against female child

A County Derry man has been convicted of indecent assaults against a female child.

William McCorry (66), of McKenna’s Lane in Bellaghy, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault against the child.

The offences were committed by McCorry between March 1 1975 and April 30 1976.

The defendant was convicted at Newry Court on June 13.

McCorry was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

In addition, he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years.

PSNI Detective Constable Gibson praised the victim for her bravery in coming forward.

“We hope that the bravery shown by this victim in coming forward will encourage others who have experienced any form of sexual abuse to come forward to Police,” she said.

“We remain committed to investigating all reports of sexual offences against children and young people. This sentencing illustrates that the passage of time is no barrier to justice, and we will hold offenders accountable no matter when the abuse occurred.

“If you have ever experienced or witnessed any form of sexual abuse we urge you to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. We have specially trained detectives who can help you, no matter when the abuse happened. You don’t have to suffer in silence.”