Brother of Minister avoids jail time for sex assault on schoolgirl
THE brother of a Fine Gael minister has walked free after sexually assaulting a schoolgirl while she was working alone in a shop.
John Ring, 47, who is a brother of Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring sexually assaulted the 17-year-old as she worked in a rural shop, telling her afterwards: ‘Well, you aren’t shy.’
He was handed a four-year suspended sentence yesterday.
He had been placed on probation for a year when he first appeared for trial before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in Decem- ber 2015.
The court had heard in March 2016 that Ring, a bread delivery man, called the girl down to the back of the empty Galway shop on July 22, 2014, on the pretext he was looking for something from the off-licence.
He pinned her into a corner from behind, told her he was a physiotherapist, ordered her to spread her legs and then put his hand inside her blouse and thrust his groin up against her.
The court had heard she told him to shop but he would not.
He was only interrupted when a customer came into the shop and Ring let the girl go.
As he left the shop, he said to her: ‘Well, you aren’t shy.’
He later harassed the girl while passing by in his van while she walked home for lunch along a country lane that same day and handed her his mobile number on a piece of paper.
The girl told her mother when she got home and was too upset to eat her lunch.
Her mother drove her back to work that afternoon and told the girl’s employer.
Gardaí were contacted when Ring came back to the shop at 5pm that evening and bought a bottle of water, and was seen winking and sticking his tongue out at the girl.
Ring, Bun Beag, Castlebar, Co. Mayo had initially pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the transition year student at the shop in north Co. Galway and had also denied a second charge of harassing her 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 under way 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.
At the time, the plea was accepted by the DPP on the basis that facts in the harassment charge were admitted.
Sentencing was adjourned to March 2016 for the preparation of a psychological and probation report along with an impact statement from the victim and was then further adjourned 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
‘He pinned her into a corner’
and on the recommendation of the Probation Service was further adjourned then until yesterday, for Ring to continue to address his sexual deviancy.
Defence barrister, Diarmuid Connolly told the sentence hearing that Ring had taken every chance given to him by the court and the Probation Service to avoid a custodial sentence.
‘He is genuinely trying to change’
He said that according to the probation report, Ring was ‘genuinely trying to change his behaviour... to avoid reoffending.
‘He seems to have reached a better understanding and I cannot put it any further,’ Mr Connolly said.
He added that the publicity surrounding the case had put severe stress on Ring and had led to his isolation. Mr Connolly said this had affected his employment prospects and he asked for the sentence to be finalised ‘in ease of everyone’.
Judge Rory McCabe said a sentence which acted as a deterrent would be most appropriate in this case.
The judge 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.
Judge McCabe then sentenced Ring to four years in prison which he suspended for five years on condition that Ring be of good behaviour during that period and also on the undertaking that he have no contact with the girl or with her family.
He said Ring was already on the Sex Offender’s Register.
The State withdrew the second charge of harassment.