Donegal pensioner applies to lift sex‑offender register obligations

A Donegal pensioner has applied to have his obligations as a registered sex offender removed.

Barrister Simon Gillespie BL moved the application at Letterkenny Circuit Court on behalf of the unnamed man, who was sentenced in 2010 to three years’ imprisonment for 15 counts of indecent assault of a minor committed between 1985 and 1988.

The court was told the man has been on the sex‑offenders’ register for an indefinite period and, under current terms, must notify An Garda Síochána if he leaves the jurisdiction for more than three days, or stays more than three days at an address other than his own, and must sign in at a Garda station once a year.

Under Irish law a person may apply to the Circuit Court to have these obligations removed after ten years have elapsed since release, on the basis that they “no longer serve the common good”. Gillespie said the man is now integrated into work and community life and was assessed as a low risk of reoffending when sentenced 16 years ago.

The State solicitor for Donegal, Kieran Dillon, confirmed the State does not oppose the application. Judge Aylmer, who has sat on the bench for 11 years, noted he could not recall a similar case and requested a Probation Service assessment before deciding. The matter was adjourned to February 2027.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Strange Happenings / Pexels.