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A CLADY man has been sentenced to four years in prison after sexually abusing a vulnerable woman.
Edward Allen (70), of Lisdoo Road, was sentenced at Dungannon Crown Court on Monday.
Allen had originally been charged with rape, sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault, all of which he denied.
However, he was later re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to three sexual assault charges, with the rape charge left on the books.
The abuse came to light on October 27, 2023, when the victim contacted a neighbour in a distressed state and asked for help.
The court heard that the woman has learning difficulties but had been supported by her family to live independently in the Ardstraw area.
She told police that Allen, who was known to her family, had assaulted her around ten days earlier but she had been afraid to tell anyone as she thought she would get into trouble.
In her account to police, the victim said that Allen arrived at her home, entered through the back gate and went in through the back door.
She said he took her upstairs to her bedroom, told her to remove her clothes and undressed himself.
She told the court that Allen instructed her to lie on the bed, before committing a serious sexual assault. He told her not to tell anyone before leaving the house.
On a separate occasion, Allen pushed up the victim’s bra and touched her breasts.
Allen was arrested on October 28, 2023, and denied the allegations.
Forensic examination later found his semen on the carpet in the victim’s home. When re-interviewed on June 4, 2024, Allen denied any knowledge of how it came to be there.
The case proceeded through the courts, with Allen maintaining not guilty pleas until the week before the trial was due to begin.
In sentencing, His Honour Brian Sherrard said Allen had shown ‘no remorse’ for his actions.
A victim impact statement read to the court by the victim’s brother said the offences had ‘opened a new world’ for his sister and had ‘stolen her innocence’.
He said the impact on the wider family had been significant and had eroded their trust in others.
Judge Sherrard noted that Allen had previously worked as a handyman and that while he had a criminal record, it was not relevant to the offences before the court.
Allen was assessed as having high culpability and a medium risk of reoffending. The judge said the defendant had caused ‘considerable harm’ to the victim and her family.
In imposing a four-year custodial sentence, Judge Sherrard said there was no basis to suspend the sentence or impose a licence period.
Allen was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order was granted.
Speaking afterwards, Detective Sergeant Nichol said, “I want to thank the victim for bravely reporting this individual to police and for showing such strength. We know the prison sentence will not erase what happened, but we do hope it will provide some comfort to the victim.
“We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls, and we hope this court outcome sends a clear message to offenders there is no hiding place, and we will work tirelessly to bring you before the court.
“We are committed to building trust and confidence, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators and making all spaces safer for women and girls. If you have ever been sexually assaulted, experienced or witnessed any form of sexual abuse, we urge you to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. We are here to help you.”
, a police spokesperson thanked the victim for ‘bravely reporting this individual to police and for showing such strength’.
“We know the prison sentence will not erase what happened, but we do hope it will provide some comfort to the victim.
“We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls, and we hope this court outcome sends a clear message to offenders there is no hiding place, and we will work tirelessly to bring you before the court.
“We are committed to building trust and confidence, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators and making all spaces safer for women and girls. If you have ever been sexually assaulted, experienced or witnessed any form of sexual abuse, we urge you to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. We are here to help you.”
