Craigavon court told there were six victims, with the youngest just six-years-old
A Co Armagh man has been handed a five-year prison sentence for child sex offences.
Patrick Lavery, 40, of Ballynamoney Road, Lurgan, was convicted at Craigavon Crown Court in May following a two week trial after facing nine child sex offence charges that took place from 1999 to 2009.
The charges included gross indecency towards a child, both male and female victims, and counts of indecent assault against a child and sexual assault on a child.
The court heard there were six victims, with the youngest just six-years-old, while Lavery was a teenager at the start of his offending and an adult in his 20s towards the end of it.
Lavery returned to the dock on Thursday for sentencing, looking ahead and without expression between two guards for most of the hearing while people sat in the public gallery behind him.
His legal counsel said that for part of the offending Lavery had been aged between 14 and 17-years-old, and asked for his mental health issues to be considered.
Judge Donna McColgan told the court that she wanted to assure the victims she had read and fully considered everything in the victim impact assessments submitted.
“It is clear to me that the offending in this case has had a significant impact on each and every one of you,” she said.
She read a passage from one the victim impact assessments which she said she had found to be “extremely poignant and moving”.
“My work is more than a career, it is a conscious decision to create light where I once experienced darkness, I advocate for others, I protect the vulnerable. I listen to those who have not yet found their voice, and in doing so, I reclaim my own,” she read.
“Francis Bacon once wrote, ‘in order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present’. I did not choose the darkness that was introduced into my life but I have chosen what I do with it, I have reframed my story, not as one defined by abuse, but by resilience, strength, survival, and the drive to serve others.
“To Patrick I say this, I hope you take the time to truly reflect on your actions and think deeply about the people whose lives you have harmed and get the help that you need, but from this moment forward I am done carrying the weight of what you did. I will not give you space in my thoughts or in my heart. I will not carry hate, only forgiveness.
“This may seem like I have had some sort of victory, but let me be clear, there is no winner here, none at all. The only feeling I have is that of relief, relief that I no longer have to lie awake at night wondering if this is happening to another child. That and only that brings me peace.”
Judge McColgan said she had concluded that a global sentence of five years imprisonment is appropriate, with half to be served in custody and the remaining half on probation. Lavery will also remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Chris Flemming said: “This man is a cold, calculating and incredibly manipulative child predator who has today been sent to prison for his crimes against innocent children.
“I want to thank the bravery of the victims in coming forward. It goes to show that the passage of time has no bearing on a criminal justice outcome. We have seen an increase in reports of non-recent child abuse over the last five years, with an average of 45 new referrals of this type each month across the province. Sentencings like today, I hope, will provide those who have suffered with the confidence to break the years of silence they have endured.
“Let this serve as another warning to those perpetrating child sexual abuse in our communities, we are working every day to break down reporting barriers and encourage victims to come forward. You will be caught, your lies uncovered and you will face the full force of the law.”
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