BACUP MAN SPARED JAIL FOR HISTORIC CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A Bacup man who touched a child inappropriately in the 1980s has avoided jail.Gary O’Shea, 63, appeared before Burnley Crown Court charged with one count of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14.
The incident took place between 1983 and 1985, when the victim was aged between eight and nine, and O'Shea was in his early 20s.
During this period, she would visit the defendant's house and stay overnight.
The victim described him as “touchy-feely,” recounting that he would want to sit next to her and, on one occasion, put his hand on her thigh while sitting at the kitchen table.
Judge Sarah Dodd noted that the offending occurred over 40 years ago, with O’Shea aged between 20 and 22.
The court heard that when the offence took place, the victim told him not to do it, but O’Shea warned her that she couldn't say anything and would be placed in care if she did.
Her victim impact statement expressed relief that the long process was over and justice had been served, stating, “I have been called a liar by my family, and now it is proven I was telling the truth.” Mitigating lawyer Emma Kehoe said O'Shea could not remember the offence but might have committed it, leading him to plead guilty.
She explained that his house was always busy in the 1980s due to having 13 siblings, often fighting for a chair at the table.
O’Shea was also said to have been in poor health with weekly GP visits.
Judge Dodd sentenced him to a conditional discharge for 12 months, emphasizing the offence's age, the delay in court proceedings, and his lack of prior convictions.
