Man (80) sexually abused child 25 times while she between 5 and 9 years of age

Fiona Magennis

A circuit court judge has told an 80-year-old man that he should be “ashamed of himself” while jailing him for four years for the sexual abuse of a child.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the injured party in the case wished to have the accused man named, but did not wish to be named herself.

Desmond Walsh (80) of Brownsbarn Orchard, Old Naas Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty to five sample counts of sexual assault on dates between January 2011 and June 2015 at his home address. He has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan said: “This is somewhat of a distressing case.” He noted that it was conservative to say that the child was abused on 25 separate occasions while aged between five and nine years of age.

The court heard Walsh was extradited from Spain and co-operated fully with the extradition.

The judge said the aggravating factors in the case were the age of the child at the time and the number of times that Walsh repeated the misbehaviour.

In mitigation, he noted the guilty plea, the expression of remorse, the lack of any previous convictions, his long work history, and the unlikelihood that he will re-offend to any great degree in the future.

Judge Nolan initially set a headline sentence of eight years, but subsequently reduced it to four years after considering the mitigation. He also noted that credit should be given for any time already spent in custody, either in Spain or in Ireland, on this matter.

Judge Nolan concluded this sentence by saying: “Mr Walsh, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Garda William Doyle told Shaun Smyth BL, prosecuting, that the injured party was known to Walsh and would visit his home on occasion. The abuse occurred when the child was between nearly five and nine years old.

The abuse came to light when the young girl disclosed what had previously happened. The girl had recently had a “Stay Safe” talk in school, which prompted her disclosure.

The court heard that the girl was interviewed by specialist gardaí. She told gardaí that Walsh would place his hand inside her underwear and put “pressure” on her vagina.

Gda Doyle said that in 2018, Walsh left the jurisdiction abruptly. His leaving was so abrupt that his wife reported him missing. In early 2019, it was discovered he was living in Spain.

Gardaí spoke with Walsh via phone in July 2020, and he said that when the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, he would return to Ireland.

A second phone call was made to Walsh in Spain in which the allegations were put to him. He said they were “totally false” and caused him great pain.

He again told gardaí that he would return to Ireland. Gardaí instructed him to present himself to a Spanish police station, but he failed to do so, and an extradition proceeding began. He was extracted to Ireland in November 2022.

A victim impact statement was handed into the court, and the last paragraph was read aloud by Judge Nolan:  “I just want to feel normal again. I didn’t deserve this; no one does. I want to put this to bed so I can live my life again.”

The court was told that Walsh brought a sum of money to court as a token of remorse for the injured party, but she did not wish to receive it and instead asked that it be donated to Dublin Rape Crisis.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.