King v Thomas McKenna
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Judge | Her Honour Judge Smyth |
| Judgment Date | 21 April 2023 |
| Neutral Citation | [2023] NICC 10 |
| Date | 21 April 2023 |
| Court | Crown Court (Northern Ireland) |
1
IN THE CROWN COURT OF NORTHERN IRELAND
SITTING AT LAGANSIDE
___________
THE KING
v
THOMAS McKENNA
___________
HER HONOUR JUDGE SMYTH
Introduction
[1] You are to be sentenced for a campaign of sexual offending which spanned
almost 30 years. You targeted boys and young men, 23 in total, manipulating them
to the point where they felt utterly powerless and unable to disclose what you had
done. The psychological harm that you have inflicted is immeasurable and there is
no sentence that this court can pass that will repair that damage.
[2] At the outset, I want to acknowledge the victims whose names do not appear
on any charge on the indictment. They are the parents who entrusted their children
to your care. They wanted their children to take every opportunity to succeed in life
and in the small community of Crossmaglen, GAA and in particular, Crossmaglen
Rangers Club was the bedrock.
[3] You manipulated those parents just as you manipulated their children. You
befriended them, disguising your true nature under the mask of respectability. You
were the post man, a director in the credit union and part of the very fabric of the
club. It is the experience of these courts that there is no stereotypical perpetrator of
sexual abuse and that sexual offences can take place in almost any circumstances. It
is a myth that child abusers are loners or strangers or people instinctively to be
avoided. In truth, as this case demonstrates, they are people to whom you would
entrust your life. No parent bears any responsibility for the harm that their children
have suffered. They, and their sons are completely blameless.
Neutral Citation No: [2023] NICC 10
Judgment: approved by the court for handing down (subject
to editorial corrections) *
Ref: [2023] NICC 10
ICOS No: 21/11341, 22/19312,
22/19385, 22/19302
Delivered: 21/04/2023
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