A FORMER circus strongman has been sentenced to six years after being found guilty of historic child sex offences.
David Parkinson, 81, from the Bangor area was sentenced at Dungannon Crown Court on Friday having last month been found guilty of 12 offences including gross indecency, indecent assault and rape.
The offences were committed between 1976 and 1983 when the victim was a child.
According to the Impartial Reporter, the abuse began after Parkinson arranged for the girl to clean his caravan in Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh, during which time he would expose himself.
The abuse continued after Maguire moved to a house in the Maguiresbridge area of Fermanagh.
"The victim in this case, who was a child at the time the offences were committed, suffered years of abuse at the hands of Parkinson," said Detective Sergeant Ciara Crozier.
"I would like to commend this woman's bravery for coming forward to bring him before the courts to answer for his crimes.
"We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously.
"We have a team of dedicated detectives who are determined to bring anyone involved in any form of abuse before the courts to answer for their crimes, no matter when they occurred."
Parkinson will serve three years in custody and three years on licence.
He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period and will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for an indefinite period.
