GARY SERVICE: NORTHERN IRELAND PAEDOPHILE TARGETS IRISH WEST COAST HOMES

In March 1999, disturbing reports emerged about Gary Service, a convicted paedophile from Northern Ireland, who is actively seeking to establish a new residence in the Republic of Ireland, specifically in the western regions including Galway, Mayo, and Clare. Service, aged 31, has a criminal history that spans both Northern Ireland and Liverpool, where he was involved in heinous acts against young boys.

Recently, Service utilized parole to conduct house-hunting trips across the west of Ireland, aiming to avoid registration on the UK sex offenders' register. His travels took him through Galway, Mayo, and Clare, as he searched for a suitable location to settle down discreetly. His intent appears to be to blend into rural communities, avoiding the scrutiny that comes with being a registered sex offender in the UK.

Alarmingly, a former acquaintance of Service has come forward to warn the public about his intentions. This individual revealed that Service is due to be released from prison later this year and has expressed a firm desire to leave Northern Ireland behind. According to the source, Service boasted about his plans to move to the Republic and claimed to have already viewed properties in the west of Ireland. The former friend emphasized that Service believes he can quietly disappear into the countryside, which prompted the decision to make this information public to prevent him from doing so.

He was quoted as saying, “Once a paedophile, always a paedophile,” underscoring the belief that Service’s criminal tendencies are persistent. The community in Mayo, Galway, and Clare are urged to be vigilant and aware of his appearance and past actions. This warning comes amid a concerning pattern where several convicted child sex offenders from Northern Ireland have recently relocated to the Cork area, with authorities in both jurisdictions working to monitor such movements.

One Garda source expressed frustration over the situation, stating, “We have our own problems with sex abuse but it now seems we are also importing a major problem from the North. We are co-operating with the RUC but our hands are tied. Obviously some of these people view here as an opportunity to re-offend. It makes me angry as anything to think that these men feel they can come here to get away from their past. You get the feeling that we are turning into a bit of a dumping ground.”

Service’s criminal record is extensive. He has been jailed twice for crimes involving young boys. His Belfast court sentenced him to four years after evidence revealed he videotaped himself committing a sexual assault on a young boy. Additionally, in Liverpool, he organized scout trips to Anfield, Liverpool Football Club’s home ground, between 1993 and 1997. During one such trip, he posed for photographs with Liverpool’s former left-back, Stig Inge Bjornebye. On another occasion, he spiked a young boy’s soft drink with vodka before assaulting him, then proceeded to disorient the victim with water, falsely claiming he had wet himself, and ultimately forcing the boy to strip and molesting him.

Judge Ian Crompton of Liverpool described Service’s actions as “disgusting and serious,” emphasizing that a custodial sentence was justified. He was sentenced to three years, to run concurrently with a previous four-year sentence handed down in Belfast. With good behavior and remission, Service is expected to be released from Maghaberry Prison in County Antrim this December. However, recent insights from former prisoners suggest that Service is determined to avoid registering and is actively seeking properties in Limerick and Tramore, with financial resources apparently not an issue.

A Garda source highlighted the growing concern, stating, “We have our own problems with sex abuse but it now seems we are also importing a major problem from the North. We are co-operating with the RUC but our hands are tied. Obviously some of these people view here as an opportunity to re-offend. It makes me angry as anything to think that these men feel they can come here to get away from their past. You get the feeling that we are turning into a bit of a dumping ground.”

His former friend concluded with a stark warning: “It is outrageous that someone like him will be able to move to the Republic. People there must be stopped from hurting other children.”