Man, 80, admits sex assaults of boy, 12

An 80-year-old Cork man confessed to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy at his antique shop and firearms store in the 1970s.

Yesterday, the victim spoke at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of the devastation of the crime on his life and said he “never had peace of mind in my head” since.

With a faltering voice, the victim struggled to remain composed to tell Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin of how he suffered at the hands of Patrick Bassett, who sexually assaulted him in various ways, including acts of masturbation.