A man who buggered a boy after telling him he would "bull" him has been jailed for five years by the Central Criminal Court.
Tom Minnock (58), of Rath cobian, Rhode, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to the charge. He is currently serving a three-year sentence imposed last July by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sexually assaulting another boy.
Mr Justice Carney noted that the number of male rape cases coming before the court in recent times was increasing very rapidly.
He said it was very probable that Minnock was on bail for the sexual assault case when he committed the buggery, and that if he had been given proof of that he would have imposed a consecutive sentence on the buggery charge.
Minnock, a married man with a family, pleaded guilty on November 11th last after a jury had been sworn in to try him on a charge of raping the now 12-year-old boy by buggery on August 23rd, 1997.
He has been in custody since September 17th, 1997, and the buggery sentence is to date from then. A nolle prosequi was entered in relation to a sexual assault charge.
Garda Pat Murray of Tullamore said the victim of the buggery confided what had happened to another boy and later revealed it to a female relative. Minnock was arrested and made a full statement, which concurred generally with the victim's allegation.
He claimed he was not sexually aroused when he began "messing" with the boy and had not initially intended buggering him.
Garda Murray told prosecuting counsel Mr Gerard Clarke SC (with Ms Dara Foynes) that Minnock was originally from Island, Ballycumber, and had lived for many years in Wales and London where he worked as a building labourer.
Mr John Peart SC, defending, said Minnock found prison very hard. He accepted that while his client had pleaded guilty he was still "in denial", but his plea had prevented the victim from having to go through the trauma of giving evidence.