Former scout leader jailed for sexual abuse

This article contains references to sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

By Eimear Dodd

A man contacted gardai to make a formal complaint after seeing the former scout leader who sexually abused him and two other boys almost 40 years ago on television.

James Gilleran (70) appeared on the Late Late Show in 2021 in his capacity as a volunteer for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day campaign. He was jailed for two years.

One of his victims contacted another complainant after seeing Gilleran on television, with a third also then coming forward.

The three men later made formal complaints to gardai that Gilleran had sexually abused them while he was a scout leader of 117th Francis Street Scout Group during the 1980s. The three men indicated to the court they wished to waive their anonymity and for Gilleran to be named.

Gilleran, of Parkview Court, Blackhorse Avenue, Cabra, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on dates between 1983 and 1987.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the abuse primarily involved inappropriate touching. The boys were aged between 11 and 13 when Gilleran abused them.

Gilleran has one previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic and was handed a four year sentence in 1997, which was reduced to two years on appeal.

The injured party who recognised Gilleran from TV – Rory Patchell – said in his impact statement that he suppressed his memory of the abuse until he saw Gilleran “lauded on TV”.

“James Gilleran, I stand here as a survivor supported by my wife, children and loving family,” he said. “You have nothing”.

Another injured party – Stephen Devlin – described Gilleran as a “pied piper cycling around the Liberties” who presented himself as a “role model” who cared for the young boys in his care.

The third injured party – Greg Stafford – said he was an “innocent child” who was taken advantage of and Gilleran’s actions have had a lifelong impact on him.

Imposing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said Gilleran’s offending constituted a “gross violation of children”.

“It constituted a gross violation of their bodily integrity, their innocence, happiness, trust, childhood, their peace of mind,” the judge said. “They were children. They were small, innocent.”

She noted Gilleran had subjected them to “predatory behaviour”, including exposing them to alcohol and pornography. “The impact is still felt to this day by these injured parties,” the judge said.

Taking into account a number of mitigating factors, she sentenced Gilleran to two years’ imprisonment.

Detective Garda Richard Mostyn of Divisional Protective Services Unit in Kevin Street Garda Station told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Gilleran was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group between 1983 and 1987. He also worked at that time as a sacristan in the White Friar Street Church.

The first complainant, Mr Patchell, said the first incident took place in the boiler room of White Friar Street Church. He recalled Gilleran touched him inappropriately over his trousers, then masturbating himself.

Gilleran indecently assaulted him a second time in the kitchen at the Scout Hall in June 1985.  A third incident took place at the Gilleran’s family home in Co. Longford following a sponsored cycle.

The court heard that Gilleran brought the boy to a bar before the incident occurred and gave him alcohol.

Reading his victim impact statement, Mr Patchell said Gilleran “groomed and sexually abused me as a boy”. He said Gilleran stole part of his childhood and adulthood.

He said he lived with the crime and suppressed the memories. He also outlined the effects on his mental health.

The second complainant, Mr Devlin, was at Gilleran’s then-home in Sundrive Park, Kimmage when the scout leader indecently assaulted him. He was given a glass of cider while at the flat.

Gilleran also asked the boy to touch his penis, but the boy refused.

Mr Devlin described in his victim impact statement how he had trusted Gilleran and believed him to be a “figure of safety”.

He said Gilleran “fooled” him as he was a child, but also fooled parents.

He said Gilleran was a “grown man in a position of trust who lured me into his web and took advantage of me”, adding that his childhood innocence was lost as a result.

He said he developed a mistrust of authority figures and the fear of betrayal lingered.

He said his mother had believed in the “integrity of scouting” and then had to live with “the burden that she was deceived and her only son abused”.

Gilleran brought the third boy, Mr Stafford, to the cinema, then to his home at Sundrive Park. He gave the then 11-year-old a can of beer and pornographic magazines to look at. Gilleran put on the TV, then indecently assaulted the boy.

During the abuse, Gilleran told the boy, “It’s okay, all lads do this”. The boy pushed Gilleran away, and went to leave, but the door was locked. He told Gilleran he wanted to go, and the scout leader left the boy at the bus stop.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Stafford said he was left at a bus stop after the abuse “crying, confused and lost”.

He said the abuse has had a lifelong effect on him and outlined suffering with nightmares, flashback and other mental health issues.

Mr Stafford said his mother “blamed herself” as she’d let him go that day thinking he would have a good time.  He said it “broke her heart” for the rest of her life, and she was still apologising to him during one of their last conversations when he told her neither of them were at fault.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that records from Scouting Ireland were obtained as part of the investigation.

When interviewed by gardai in 2022, Gilleran didn’t accept any wrongdoing but confirmed his addresses in Dublin and Co. Longford.

Det Gda Mostyn agreed with Philipp Rahn SC, defending, that his client entered an early guilty plea. It was also accepted that disclosure was sought and some records were not available about an earlier investigation, but the defendant wished to plead guilty.

The court heard Gilleran wrote letters of apology to the men, who have indicated they do not wish to receive them.

The garda also agreed that Gilleran has a good work history and involvement with charitable work.

Mr Rahn said Gilleran was from Longford and moved to Dublin when he was 17. He asked the court to take into account his client’s long work history, and age.

Gilleran has a number of health issues and was recently in hospital for a cardiac incident. He was a carer for his long-term partner after he became ill and who passed away seven years ago.

Counsel noted his client’s previous conviction, but asked the court to consider that his client has lived an offending free life for 30 years.

“He instructed he wished to atone for what he has done, and lay himself at the mercy of the court,” Mr Rahn said.