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A former Garda immigration officer has been jailed for sexual assault and harassment involving two non-EU nationals who sought his help with visa purposes and passports at a Roscommon Garda station.
At a sitting of Roscommon Circuit Courtroom on Friday, Decide Kenneth Connolly convicted John Egan (61), with an handle at Drum, Knock, Co Mayo, of sexually assaulting one of many ladies at Castlerea Garda station on February 14th, 2015, whereas working there as an immigration officer.
He was additionally convicted of harassing the identical sufferer on numerous places throughout the county on dates between February fifteenth and December thirty first 2015.
Egan was additionally convicted of harassing a second girl on dates between June 1st, 2014, and March 4th, 2017. He pleaded responsible to all of the offences at a sitting of Roscommon Circuit Courtroom final yr. That sitting heard that watching, following and contacting have been carried out as a part of the harassments.
Friday’s Circuit Courtroom sitting heard that a part of Egan’s duties was to fulfill non-EU nationals in aiding with their visa purposes.
On one event, one of many ladies went to see him about her visa software and she or he made him conscious, when he requested her, that she not had a accomplice. He sexually assaulted her inside his workplace on the station.
The court docket was additionally advised that typically he would park outdoors her house and stay there for a time. The Garda additionally advised her to not inform anybody about what was occurring.
The person advised the opposite sufferer on quite a few events that “he wished to have some enjoyable”, and she or he took that to imply he wished to have intercourse.
Egan was arrested and charged with the offences in December 2021. As a part of the investigation, the Garda’s telephone data have been examined in relation to his interplay with the victims.
In sufferer impression statements learn out to the court docket, each ladies spoke of how Egan’s behaviour had affected them emotionally, bodily and mentally. One of many victims mentioned she felt “unhappy, ashamed and violated”, and the person had “preyed on my vulnerability and abused his energy”.
The opposite girl, in her sufferer impression assertion, mentioned she didn’t suppose folks would imagine her.
“To me, he was an individual of energy who everybody appeared to love,” she mentioned. The girl felt trapped and weak and he “performed on my vulnerability”. The court docket heard she suffered from nervousness because of this and was prescribed medicine.
Egan took the witness stand and “sincerely apologised for the ache and trauma” he had induced the 2 ladies .
The previous Garda had joined the power in December 1982 aged 19, and in 1990, was stationed at Castlerea Garda station. In 2002, he was appointed as an immigration officer on the station, a task he carried out till he retired in April 2017.
Decide Connolly mentioned probably the most aggravating issue was the person’s abuse of energy and his place of dominance to perpetuate sexual occasions and harassment on one girl, and harassment on the opposite girl.
Decide Connolly sentenced Egan to 2 years and 6 months for sexually assaulting one of many ladies and an additional two years in jail for harassing her. These sentences are to run concurrently.
Egan was additionally given a one yr and nine-month consecutive jail sentence for harassing the opposite girl. The ultimate 9 months of this the sentence was suspended.
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