A Galway man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing teenage boys in public toilets at Eyre Square, Galway, and other areas around the city, appeared before Galway Circuit Court yesterday.
John Joe Egan (56), Ballybrit, Galway, pleaded guilty to three counts of gross indecency involving one boy who was under the age of 17, one count of buggery, involving another boy and one charge of harassing a third boy.
The offences took place on dates between 1988 and 1997 at the Eyre Square toilets and at three other isolated locations around the city.
Psychologist Mr Eamon Murphy said Egan had been attending his clinic since November 1997. Egan told him he had been astounded at first by what he saw happening in the public toilets between men and boys but after a while he began to fantasise about it and later began to do it himself. He said Egan was not a paedophile but a latent homosexual.
Mr Murphy said he believed Egan had no interest in young children and returned to being a morally upright person after five years of abusing the boys. He said that while Egan posed no threat to society he would have to submit to therapy checks for the rest of his life.
Egan's son, Mr Billy Egan, gave evidence that his father had been good to the family and was always considerate.
Judge Carroll Moran said it was clear Mr Murphy was not giving Egan a clear bill of health and he needed time to make a sentence decision. He adjourned the matter until Thursday.
One of the victims, who was 15 when Egan abused him, said in a statement to gardai that he had gone to the toilets to earn pocket money and had performed sexual acts for Egan and other men.