Derry man jailed after admitting indecent assault of children

A man who admitted the indecent assault of three relatives when they were children has been jailed.

The 53-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims, was sentenced at Londonderry Crown Court on Tuesday.

The man admitted a total of five charges of indecent assault on a male between April 1983 and March 1986.

He also admitted two charges of indecent assault on a different male between December 1997 and July 2000.

The assault of a third victim - which he also pleaded guilty to - happened in October 2004.

The court heard the offences happened when the children were staying with relatives, where the defendant was also living at the time.

Judge Philip Babington said the three victims did not understand what was happening to them due to their ages.

He said all three victims were relieved they did not have to testify in court due to the defendant pleading guilty.

In a pre-sentence report the defendant expressed his regret for what had happened and said he was "disgusted with himself".

The judge said the offences were "sneaky and nasty" in nature and aggravated by the number of victims and the fact the abuse occurred when the victims should have felt safe.

The judge handed down a five year sentence, with the man spending three years in prison and two years on probation.

He also was ordered to sign the Sex Offender's Register and the judge imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for an indefinite period.