Ennis Circuit Court has heard how a 56-year-old former bus driver confessed to Gardaí that he had sexually abused a four year old girl in West Clare.
Ciaran Colgan of Gleann na hEorna, Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin made the admissions to Gardaí in Crumlin nine years after he had committed the offences, and over fifteen years after first doing so.
Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports:
Ciaran Colgan identified the girl by name when he told Gardai at Crumlin Garda Station that he had abused her on three different occasions from 2001 to 2003 in West Clare.
Garda Ruth O’Sullivan told the court that he didn’t wish to make a statement, but that if a complaint was ever made, he would admit to everything.
He walked free as there was no complaint against him at that time, and four years later, in 2014, offended again when he posed as a 16 year old boy on Facebook and sent sexually explicit messages to a 12 year old girl.
Earlier this year he received a four year jail term at Cavan Circuit Court, with the final two-and-a-half years suspended, in respect of this offence.
In the case before the courts in Ennis, Colgan has pleaded guilty to three separate counts of sexual assault which occurred when he was babysitting the then four year old girl.
Last year, she went to a Garda Station to make a formal complaint and when he was interviewed, Colgan confessed.
In her victim impact statement, the complainant said she came forward mainly to ensure the protection of other children and she outlined how she felt her childhood innocence was taken from her.
Judge Gerard Keys remanded Colgan in custody for sentencing next Tuesday.
