LOUIS FEENY FROM COLERAINE SENTENCED FOR MULTIPLE RAPE OFFENSES IN PORTSTEWART AND BEYOND

In December 2016, a disturbing case involving Louis Feeny, a man from Killowen Street in Coleraine, culminated in a significant prison sentence after he was convicted of multiple heinous sexual offenses committed against young girls in Northern Ireland. The case revealed a pattern of predatory behavior that spanned several decades, with Feeny’s crimes primarily taking place in Portstewart and other locations within the region.

Feeny, aged 66 at the time of sentencing, was found guilty of a series of sexual assaults, including a particularly disturbing incident from August 1973. According to court proceedings, Feeny carried out what a judge described as “a campaign of rape” against an eight-year-old girl on an almost daily basis during that month. The young victim was assaulted multiple times within the grounds of a Catholic church in Portstewart, a seaside town known for its tourist appeal and religious landmarks.

The prosecution detailed how Feeny first encountered the girl outside the Star of the Sea church as she was heading to swimming lessons. The girl recounted that she needed to use the toilet, prompting Feeny to escort her to a rear toilet block at the church. Once inside, he locked the door and forced her into performing sexual acts, including raping her after instructing her to stand on a toilet seat. The court heard that Feeny then threatened the girl, warning her that if she told anyone about what had happened, he would report her to the police for stealing from the church’s collection box. This intimidation was part of a broader pattern of abuse, which, according to the evidence, occurred every day in August 1973, except Sundays.

During the trial, the defense, represented by QC Alan Kane, described the case as “a very vile series of offences” and emphasized Feeny’s troubled background. It was revealed that Feeny had a difficult childhood, including time spent in children’s homes in Portrush and Dublin, where he claimed to have been sexually abused by staff members. These personal histories were presented as context for his actions, though they did not mitigate the severity of his crimes.

Judge Gordon Kerr QC sentenced Feeny to 10 years in prison for the series of rapes. Additionally, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and subjected to a sexual offender’s prevention order for 15 years, restricting his contact with children and access to places such as parks, schools, and leisure centers. The court’s decision underscored the gravity of Feeny’s offenses and the ongoing threat he posed to the community.

Further revelations about Feeny’s criminal history emerged in September 2016, when he admitted to raping a girl during the 1970s. This admission came just before his trial on six charges of rape at Antrim Crown Court. The charges involved incidents from June 1972 to September 1974, during which Feeny acknowledged his guilt on a plea of guilty to one count of rape and five other similar offences. The court was informed that Feeny was already serving a three-year sentence for sexual abuse committed against two other girls in 1990 and 2000.

It was only after his guilty plea that authorities revisited and overturned a previous decision not to prosecute him for the 1970s rapes. The court also noted Feeny’s long history of convictions for indecent assault, dating back to when he was 18 years old in 1968, and subsequent offenses in the 1980s. Judge Desmond Marrinan, who presided over the earlier case, emphasized the severity of his crimes, stating that “to rob a child of innocence seems to me to be one of the worst things that anyone can do in this life as it’s impossible to recapture.”

As part of his sentencing, Feeny was subjected to a 15-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which barred him from contact with children in public spaces such as parks, schools, and leisure centers. Notably, Feeny waited until the morning of his trial to admit guilt, pleading guilty to four counts of indecent assault involving one victim and a similar charge related to another girl. The court heard that his abuse extended over several years, including incidents during family holidays in Portstewart in the mid-1990s and a specific event in January 2000. Prosecutor Tessa Kitson detailed how the older girl remembered four particular incidents involving Feeny during the summers of 1994 and 1995 at a holiday home, which was described as a “halfway house.”

Throughout these proceedings, it was also revealed that Feeny had been staying at the holiday location at the time, unbeknownst to the owner, despite being a convicted sex offender. His history of sexual offenses and the pattern of abuse demonstrated a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior that spanned decades, causing significant harm to multiple victims and prompting the court to impose strict measures to prevent further offenses.