'Boy-lover' jailed for five years

A paedophile who described himself to gardaí as a "boy-lover" was given a five-year jail sentence today with the last two years suspended.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said: “My opinion on the last occasion was that you had no insight and were of a danger to the public. Dr Dunne prompts me to think to believe there is at least the beginnings of a change in your disordered thinking,” Judge Ó Donnabháin said.

Daniel Connolly pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one boy at a caravan park in Co Kerry and committing the act of buggery on another boy at a house in Cork, both offences occurring around two years ago when the victims were approximately 12 years old.

Dr David Dunne, psychiatrist, testified today that Connolly at 24 had the maturity of a young adolescent with a simplistic view of the world despite being quite intelligent. He said that Connolly had created a fantasy world from which he had distorted his sexual drives.

“This is how he got into this situation. He needs counselling so that he would not sexually abuse children. He needs to mature and sort out his emotional problems,” Dr Dunne said, adding that the risk of re-offending would be greatly reduced by counselling from a psychotherapist.

Dr Dunne said the defendant’s attraction to boys still remains but that the age group to which he is attracted is going towards the adolescent male and away from the 10 to 12 year-old category.

Judge Ó Donnabháin said: “I don’t know can this disordered thinking be changed but it can certainly be controlled. In both cases there was an enormous breach of trust. These boys were entitled to their physical and emotional integrity.

"By your plea of guilty these very young boys were saved from coming to court and having to give evidence of an intimate nature. There is an open admission by you that you wronged them.

“Your sexual orientation is from disordered thinking, from which society and youth are entitled to be protected.”

The judge put him on the sex offenders register indefinitely, sentenced him to five years for buggery, with two years suspended on condition that he undertakes a sexual offenders programme at Arbour Hill prison and attend psychotherapy on release, and two years for the sexual assault.