Ex-garda jailed for four months over masturbating in clear view in Galway town

Complainant 'disappointed' with sentence imposed considering Francis Hannon’s 44 previous convictions

The woman said in her victim impact statement that 'since this incident, I have felt extremely vulnerable and unsafe in my own home and community'. Picture: iStock

A judge has jailed an ex-garda and sex offender for four months for masturbating in clear view of three women in the South Galway town of Gort last June.

At Gort District Court on Thursday, Judge Adrian Harris said that Francis Hannon, aged 69, of Poolboy Cottages, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, had engaged in “disgusting, deplorable, and awful behaviour” when fully naked and masturbating in clear view of the women on June 15, 2025.