Former GAA club treasurer jailed for 16 years over sexual assaults

Former GAA club treasurer jailed for 16 years over sexual assaults

A former Gaelic Athletic Association club official who abused more than 20 victims over almost three decades has been sentenced for 16 years in prison.

Thomas McKenna, 62, is a former treasurer of the Crossmaglen Rangers GAA club in Co Armagh.

He pleaded guilty to 162 offences including a number of serious sexual assaults, scores of indecent assaults and numerous sexual assaults against 23 victims.

They were aged between 14 and 39, but the bulk of them were in their mid-teens at the time.

McKenna was brought before Laganside Crown Court in Belfast for sentencing.

Judge Patricia Smyth told him he had preyed on both the victims and their families.

The young men and boys had been “manipulated to the point where they felt utterly powerless”.

The “psychological harm” he had inflicted was “immeasurable”.

Some of those involved had attempted to take their own lives, had suffered broken relationships and lost out on educational opportunities as a result of the abuse, she said.

The judge said McKenna had inserted himself into every aspect of village life as postman, director of the Credit Union and GAA club treasurer.

McKenna’s victims had been tortured by thoughts that somehow they were to blame or could have protected others by coming forward earlier, the families by the thought they had failed to spot what was going on, the judge said.

The truth was that they were all “completely blameless” and the fault lay entirely with McKenna.

Several of the charges he faced involved offences against children.

Some offences took place in the Republic of Ireland.

The offending was said to have taken place over almost 30 years from December 1989 until August of 2018 when he was arrested.

He also admitted to 18 counts of voyeurism and one of making an indecent picture of a child.

Earlier court appearances heard allegations that McKenna had taken pictures and videos of his victims without their permission.

At one point the police told a hearing they had recovered 43,000 images and 8,000 short video clips from several devices they had seized.

Crossmaglen Rangers issued a statement at the time of his guilty pleas.

In it they said the thoughts of the club and community were with the victims and survivors of McKenna’s abuse and that they wanted to respect their privacy.

GAA President Larry McCarthy also spoke out at the time saying that on behalf of the association he wanted to apologise to McKenna’s victims and their families and assure them of the continuing support of the GAA.

He said it was a reminder, if it were needed, of the importance of vigilance over the safety of children in clubs.

He also praised those who had pressed charges and urged anyone with similar concerns to come forward.

A number of McKenna’s victims were in court in person to watch the sentencing, others watched via video link.

Judge Smyth told the court details of the abuse.

Judge Smyth also said McKenna had carried out attacks at the club, at the Credit Union, on trips away, in his own home and in the homes of his victims.

He had used his phone to record the young men naked or semi-naked, changing, showering, going to the toilet and in social settings.

The issue came to a head when someone complained about the use of the phone in the club changing rooms, focussing on their buttocks and genitals.

That had led to a “tsunami of complaints” which ultimately led to McKenna’s arrest.

The court heard how he had plied his victims with alcohol, facilitated Credit Union loans and promised to help them progress to Crossmaglen Rangers’ senior team.

Some of the abuse had continued from when the victims were children right through to adulthood.

McKenna, the court was told, had been “completely indifferent” to the consequences of his actions.

He had a straightforward approach to grooming victims Judge Smyth said, quoting McKenna’s own words from a pre-sentence report.

“If it worked, fine, if not go on to the next one.”

 

Following the sentencing, McKenna’s 23 victims said that “the pain and suffering” they experienced would now not be felt by another generation.

“We thank Her Honour Judge Patricia Smyth for the sentence handed down earlier today. As a group, we sincerely thank our families, our community and the members of the Crossmaglen Rangers club for the unwavering loyalty, support, and care you have provided us,” solicitor Cormac McDonnell said, reading out their statement.

“We want to thank the police service for the empathy and swiftness in which they dealt with the crimes committed against us, from when they were first informed almost five years ago.

“In addition, we also wish to thank the Public Prosecution Service, and the prosecution team, for their professionalism and diligence in carrying the case to court and ensuring we received guilty pleas for the litany of crimes committed against us when we were children, and most importantly, to ensure that this individual will never be a part of our community again.

“While there were may difficult days as we relived the crimes committed against us, we, as a group, are immensely proud of the strength, dignity and unity we displayed throughout this process to get the justice we deserve and ensure that the pain and suffering inflicted upon us will not be felt by another generation in our community.

“We urge anyone else who has suffered similarly to take confidence from our journey and to reach out to the relevant authorities.”

Also reacting to the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Brennan said McKenna used his position as a respected and influential member of the community to gain access to young males to carry out the litany of abuse as outlined in court.

“He has caused long-lasting psychological damage to his victims and their families and I’ve no doubt that learning of the severity of his offending today will ricochet through the Crossmaglen community,” she said.

“Predators of this type are incredibly manipulative and invest a lot of time building trust and embedding themselves within communities to carry out their offending under the radar. Hidden in plain sight.

“Our thoughts today are with the victims that this man preyed on and abused for so many years. It takes huge courage to speak out and break the cycle of abuse,” she said.

“We would like to commend them for coming forward and working with our dedicated detectives. We would continue to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999.

“Please don’t suffer in silence fearing you won’t be believed. We will listen to you and we will act. It doesn’t matter when the abuse happened, we will still investigate and work to bring abusers before the courts as we have done today.”

Independent review

Eamonn McMahon, of Crossmaglen Rangers GAA, said the GAA has commissioned an independent review of McKenna’s use of his position within the Co Armagh club to abuse boys and young men for years.

Mr McMahon apologised to his victims and the families of those who were abused by McKenna.

He said: “The GAA, together with Crossmaglen Rangers, thank Ms Justice Smyth for today’s sentencing of Thomas McKenna after what’s been a trying four-and-a-half years for the victims, their families, our club and the wider Crossmaglen community since his arrest.

“To the victims, we are deeply sorry.

“Your journey has been a difficult one, and your strength to stay the course and see this case through to its legal conclusion is testament to your character, and recognition of the support received.

“To your parents and families, we are sorry and we thank you for your unwavering support.

“We recognise that your lives have been severely impacted when you too learned about the abuse of a loved one,” Mr McMahon said.

“We wish to assure you that the GAA will continue to support you and your families on an ongoing basis.”

He added: “An independent review of this case has been commissioned by the GAA, and while we await the outcome, the association and our constituent units shall implement the recommendations that emerged following the review process.

“Should any person wish to make contact with the review team, they may do so at [email protected].”

Additional reporting Press Association