A MAN has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of a series of historical assaults.
Ronan Farrell, 60, denied nine counts of indecent assault against a child between 1982 and 1984.
In April, he was found guilty on seven counts before being sentenced on Tuesday at Dungannon Crown Court, sitting at Newry Crown Court.
Farrell, who is originally from the Fermanagh area, will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for an indefinite period.
He has been disqualified from ever working with children.
"Ronan Farrell exploited and abused a child," said Detective Constable Ruth Marshall.
"I want to recognise the strength and courage of the victim in this case, now an adult, for coming forward and working with us throughout the investigation. Your courage should be commended.
"We encourage anyone who has been the victim of any form of sexual abuse to come forward to police, no matter when the abuse occurred.
"Please be assured that we have specially trained detectives in our dedicated Non-recent Child Abuse Team who will treat all victims with sensitivity and respect — at every stage of the process."
