Mayo man given suspended sentence for sexual assault

Ann Healy

A bread delivery man has been given a four-year suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old schoolgirl who was working alone in a small country shop.
John Ring (49) of 35 Dunbeag, Castlebar had been placed on probation for a year when he first appeared for trial before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in December 2015.
Mr Ring had initially pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the Transition Year student at the shop in north Co Galway on July 22, 2014, and had also denied a second charge of harassing the girl as she walked home alone along a country lane later that same day.
The shop or its location cannot be named in order to protect the girl’s identity.
The trial got underway in December 2015, but following an outline of the facts to the jury, Ring immediately changed his plea to guilty to the sexual assault charge.
Sentencing was adjourned to March 2016 for the preparation of a psychological report and probation report on Ring along with a impact statement from the victim and was further adjourned then to December 2016.
The court heard at the time that Ring was engaging well with the probation service but needed more counselling to deal with his predatory sexual behaviour.
Sentencing was again adjourned for one year to last November and on the recommendation of the probation service, was further adjourned then until last Thursday for Ring to continue to address his sexual deviancy through counselling.
Defence barrister, Diarmuid Connolly told the sentence hearing today that Ring had taken every chance given to him by the court and the probation service to avoid a custodial sentence.
He said that according to the probation report, Ring was ‘genuinely trying to change his behaviour in order to avoid reoffending’.
He added that the publicity surrounding the case had put severe stress on Ring and had led to his isolation. He said this had affected his employment prospects and he asked for sentence to be finalised ‘in ease of everyone’.
Judge Rory McCabe said he had indicated two years ago to the day that the appropriate sentence was four years and he had also indicated that the manner in which that sentence was to be served would depend on how Ring co-operated with the probation service.
Reading the most recent probation report, Judge McCabe said a sentence which acted as a deterrent would be most appropriate in this case.
He then sentenced Ring to four years in prison which he suspended for five years on condition Ring be of good behaviour and also on the undertaking that he have no contact with the girl or her family.  The second charge of harassment was withdrawn by the State.