PATRICK MORAN OF ANDOVERSFORD SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS FOR MULTIPLE CHILD SEXUAL OFFENCES IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE

In May 2014, Patrick Moran, a 50-year-old carpenter from Templefields, Andoversford, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for multiple heinous crimes involving a young girl and a young boy. Moran was convicted at Gloucester Crown Court last week of four counts of raping the girl over a three-year period, beginning when she was only six years old. The court also found him guilty of three counts of sexual assault on a child under thirteen, six counts of assault by penetration of a child under thirteen, one count of cruelty to the girl, and two counts of cruelty to the young boy. These offences took place between December 2009 and March of the previous year.

The criminal allegations only came to light after the girl's mother attempted to take her own life. During interactions with social workers, she disclosed that Moran had been regularly abusing her. As investigations proceeded, concerns about violence towards the young boy also emerged. Moran, who wore glasses and was dressed in a dark suit with an open-collared white shirt, sat quietly during the sentencing hearing as Judge William Hart delivered the verdict.

In his remarks, Judge Hart stated, “That girl was a child who, like all children, deserved to be treasured and protected and not abused for your own depraved sexual reasons. The impact of this will colour the whole of her rest of her life. Any abuse of this extreme sort on one so young is a burden she will struggle to bear indefinitely.” He emphasized the vulnerability of the child due to her extreme youth, the repeated nature of the rapes, and their sustained occurrence over three years.

Moran’s defense barrister, Jane Rowley, asserted that her client maintained his innocence regarding all accusations. She highlighted that Moran had been a hard-working individual who contributed positively to society, aside from serving a borstal sentence in his teenage years for violence. She urged the court to consider that Moran had no prior sexual offending history and only one previous conviction for violence.

The judge sentenced Moran to serve 10 years before he becomes eligible for parole. Additionally, Moran is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.