NEWBRIDGE MAN HUBERT GANNON SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON IN NAAS FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING FIVE GIRLS

In July 2012, Hubert Gannon, a 66-year-old resident of Moorefield Park, Newbridge, was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault against five young girls, all between the ages of five and eight at the time.

Gannon admitted to 19 charges out of a total of 72. The offences spanned from the 1970s and concluded over 25 years prior to his sentencing.

At Naas Circuit Court on Thursday, July 26, Judge Leonie Reynolds delivered the sentence, which included 19 concurrent terms ranging from 18 months to eight years, with the last two years suspended.

Fifteen of the charges were for sexual assault, in violation of Section 6 of the Criminal Law, and four were related to breaches of the Rape Act, Section 10.

Addressing the court, Judge Reynolds emphasized the severe impact of the crimes on the victims, describing one Victim Impact Statement as “harrowing reading.”

She also highlighted that Gannon had shown no remorse for his actions and remarked that his “last-minute attempt at an 11th hour apology” demonstrated that he had “very little insight into his offending, to say the least.”