The former President of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association has been jailed for 3 years and 3 months for the sexual assault of a then 19-year-old woman.
Gerry O'Mahony of Abbeyside in Dungarvan was sentenced this evening, Tuesday December 3rd, in Waterford Circuit Criminal Court.
Sexual Assault
Gerry O'Mahony, who turned 67 today, denies the single charge of sexual assault which took place on a date unknown between January 1st 2009 and December 31st 2010.
A unanimous verdict returned on October 30th found the man guilty of the assault against a then 19-year-old woman who viewed O'Mahony as a father figure.
The now 34-year-old woman, who has retained her right to anonymity read a Victim Impact Statement in court.
Victim Impact Statement
Addressing the court, she said:
"It is a shadow which follows me daily, turning routine acts into silent battles. It makes me feel weak and incapable.
I have lost so many years in turmoil that I will never regain. I have missed opportunities due to the lack of confidence I had lost in myself, and if all that was not enough, I lost myself."
Reflecting on when she first met Gerry O'Mahony, she said:
"When I think back to my 14-year-old self- vulnerable, innocent, and desperately seeking guidance, I am consumed by a deep, visceral disgust. He was calculating, seeing me not as a child to nurture, but as a sexual object to exploit. He saw me not as a child to protect, but as a victim to prey upon."
Her decision to speak in court and to pursue a conviction through the courts was one she had thought through thoroughly.
She said: "I am determined to ensure that my voice is not overpowered by fear. It is difficult to articulate in words the sensation of having my body, my trust, and my sense of security taken in a single night. Assault rewrites your entire existence. Silence has protected the wrong person for far too long."
Calling herself 'a broken, damaged individual, she said, the assault itself she says will never leave her, and continues to impact her ability to form lasting, meaningful relationships.
"My body remembers what my mind tries to forget. This new reality of constant vigilance and hesitation was not a choice, it is an unwanted aftermath of trauma that follows me daily."
The victim sought professional help in 2018 and felt she would 'suffocate' under the weight of 'unresolved emotions.'
Sentencing
Judge Eugene O'Kelly took 45 minutes to deliberate over the sentencing of the Waterford man.
He outlined a headline sentence of 5 years for the crime, finding it in the mid range of gravity for that type of offence.
Judge O'Kelly found several aggravating factors when considering a suitable sentence for Gerry O'Mahony.
He found the assault to be a 'profound breach of trust' from someone she viewed as a father figure. The young woman had, he said, come from a difficult home environment and when Gerry O' Mahony supplied her with alcohol as a underage teenager, he did so knowing that she came from a home where alcohol addiction was a feature.
A further aggravating factor was the age difference, with the Dungarvan man a generation older than the then 19-year-old.
On the night in question when the sexual assault occurred, Judge O'Kelly said Mr. O'Mahony must have recognised her level of intoxication, yet he continued to provide her with more alcohol. Reflecting on this, Judge O'Kelly said she "would not have been in a fit state to give consent."
Taking photographs of the victim's vagina and sending them to her phone via photo message was 'a gross intrusion of the victim's person,' further compounded the aggravating circumstances surrounding the assault.
As Gerry O'Mahony did not accept the guilty verdict reached by the jury, he was not entitled to a sentence reduction.
However, Judge O'Kelly reduced the sentence by one year, owing to his previous good character and his extensive medical conditions.
He noted in particular that Gerry O'Mahony had a 'spectacular fall from grace' having achieved the highest office in the IABA.
His previous career as an elected council official was noted, as was his 'significant' contribution to the Dungarvan community through the boxing club.
Trial
In a trial which lasted for five days, Mr. O Mahony was accused of a single count of sexual assault against a female employee.
The court heard from the woman during evidence, who stated he was 'a father figure' to her from her early teenage years.
The court heard that he 'groomed' her with lifts home, cheap alcohol while underage, and offers to sell her knuckledusters when she was a teenager.
The court also heard evidence that Gerry O'Mahony gave the woman a drink, shortly after which she passed out.
On waking, she discovered her underwear and trousers were down and Mr. O'Mahony performing a sex act on her without her consent.
Gerry O'Mahony has been remanded in custody since his conviction.
The custodial term of 3 years and 3 months was backdated to October 30th.
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