GAA coach has conviction upheld

A GAA coach jailed for sexually abusing five boys in the 1980s has had his conviction upheld by the Court of Appeal.

Ronan McCormack (75), of Cuppanagh, Cloonloo, Co Sligo, was found guilty by a jury at Sligo Circuit Court of 53 counts of indecently assaulting five boys aged between 10 and 13 at various locations between October 1981 and August 1986. He had denied the charges.

McCormack was sentenced to seven years and 10 months imprisonment with the final two years suspended by Judge Petria McDonnell on July 25, 2014.

The Court of Appeal has upheld his conviction holding that the victims’ evidence came across as “powerful and indeed compelling”.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the three-judge court had read the evidence of the complainants and endorsed what the trial judge had to say about the fact that certain similarities were striking.

“Overall, the impression the Court (of Appeal) is left with is that this was a particularly strong case.”

McCormack had been coach of the under 12 Eastern Harps GAA team in the 1980s.