WILLIAM MANNION FROM CO LONGFORD SENTENCED FOR REPEATED CHILD SEX OFFENSES WHILE ON BAIL

In December 2018, William Mannion, a 50-year-old man from Legan in County Longford, faced serious criminal charges related to the sexual abuse of children. The Central Criminal Court heard that Mannion, who was already serving a 13-year prison sentence for abusing four of his nieces, was on bail for these offences when he committed further heinous acts against another young girl.

Specifically, Mannion pleaded guilty to two counts each of rape and anal rape of a child, with the incidents occurring between May 2013 and January 2017. The victim in this case was between nine and twelve years old at the time of the assaults. The court was informed that Mannion's actions took place while he was under bail conditions that explicitly prohibited him from having contact with children, highlighting a grave breach of court orders.

During the proceedings, Mr. Justice Michael White emphasized the need for a custodial sentence to run consecutively to Mannion’s existing 13-year term, but he also noted that a significant portion of this new sentence should be suspended. Ultimately, Mannion was sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final six years suspended, reflecting the severity of his crimes.

A local police sergeant provided testimony to the court, revealing that two of Mannion’s family members had observed him in the vicinity of the young girl involved in the recent offences. They saw Mannion fleeing from the girl at an outdoor location in County Longford shortly after the assault. This was particularly alarming given that Mannion was on bail at the time for previous sexual offences involving four of his nieces. One of the conditions of his bail was that he stay away from children, a rule he blatantly disregarded.

Back in May 2017, Mannion had been sentenced to 13 years for sexually abusing his nieces. He had pleaded guilty to seven charges, including three counts of anal rape and one of sexual assault, committed between June and August 2006 when the victim was just seven years old. Additionally, Mannion admitted to sexually assaulting her older sister three years earlier, also at age seven. His criminal record further included charges of sexually assaulting two other relatives, a nine-year-old and a 16-year-old cousin, between October 2001 and June 2010.

The court heard that in the most recent incident, Mannion had approached the young girl as she was walking her dog. He took her behind a wall at an outdoor location, where he kissed and groped her before taking her to another nearby spot to commit the rape. The girl confided in a relative about the assault, which prompted her to give a statement to Gardaí (police). In her statement, she disclosed that Mannion had raped her on three other occasions.

The sergeant testified that Mannion acknowledged his behavior was “all wrong,” and that he accepted the accusations made by the young girl. It was also revealed that Mannion was scheduled to go on trial for the sexual abuse of his nieces just a week and a half after his arrest for the recent offences, indicating a pattern of ongoing criminal behavior.

Mannion described himself as “a bit of a loner” and admitted that his offences did not “feel normal.” He accepted the truth of the girl’s statement, which detailed the abuse he inflicted.

His criminal history is extensive, with 16 previous convictions dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. These include the 13-year sentence for his prior sexual offences, as well as convictions for assault stemming from a family dispute and multiple burglaries.

In imposing the sentence, Mr. Justice White placed strict conditions on the suspended portion of Mannion’s ten-year term. He ordered that Mannion must not reside in any location where children under 18 are present, nor have any unsupervised contact with minors under 18 without prior approval from his probation officer and the local child protection authorities. These measures aim to prevent further harm and ensure ongoing supervision of Mannion’s activities.