Tomas Gallagher jailed for sexual assaults at Christian pilgrimage site

A man who sexually assaulted five women at a Christian pilgrimage site in the Republic of Ireland has been jailed for a total of four years.

Tomas Gallagher, 42, of Rathanlacky, Dunkineely, County Donegal, was handed a five-year prison sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, for a range of offences committed in 2022 at St Patrick’s Purgatory on Lough Derg.

Appearing before Letterkenny Circuit Court, the court heard Gallagher deceived his victims into helping him fix washing appliances in a laundry room before subjecting them to a series of sexual acts.

In sentencing Gallagher, the judge described his crimes as “egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage”.

Judge John Aylmer said an aggravating feature in the case was the ages of some of the victims, two of whom were teenagers, as well as the breach of trust involved.

He described the incidents against the women, who cannot be named to protect their identities, as “deceitful and premeditated”.

Gallagher pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges involving five different women at St Patrick’s Purgatory, which was recently designated a national pilgrimage site.

He pleaded guilty to six charges of sexual assault.

He also admitted that, during the same period and at the same location, he attempted to invite, induce, counsel or incite a child to engage in sexual touching.

A prosecuting barrister and senior garda (Irish police officer) outlined the details of Gallagher’s offending when he worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat and a boat driver, taking pilgrims to and from the island.

Statements given to police by his victims described how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to help him in the laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines, such as washing machines and and tumble dryers, before he sexually assaulted them.

One woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened to her, which led to others coming forward with complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher.

Gallagher was interviewed by Gardaí (Irish police) on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened.

However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea.

Victim impact statements from three women were read out in court, while two of the victims chose to read their own statements.

One fought back tears as she spoke of how, despite being the victim, she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened.

Another victim said she was made to feel vulnerable and intimidated but was afraid to speak up sooner, fearing she would not be believed.

The court heard from a woman who said she failed exams because of Gallagher’s depraved acts. She said she later completed the exams, was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further.

A teenage victim said she had to attend counselling, while another woman, who gave her evidence by video link, said Gallagher’s attack had made her distrusting of men as a result of his actions.

Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he “truly regretted” his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families.

The judge said Gallagher came before the court on an early plea and appeared genuinely remorseful.

He said the accused man was fully cooperative with the probation service and had undergone counselling.

In relation to the charges against the children, Gallagher was sentenced to five years in prison.

He was given a sentence of three-and-a-half years on the other charges with the sentences to run concurrently.

The last 12 months of the sentence was suspended for a period of 12 months on condition that Gallagher enter a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for 12 months following his release from prison and on condition that he continue under the supervision of the probation service.

In a statement from the Diocese of Clogher, the Prior of Lough Derg, Monsignor La Flynn, apologised to Gallagher’s victims “unreservedly for the hurt they have suffered”.

He said that, along with the then operations manager at Lough Derg, he was made aware of allegations of sexual assault in 2022.

“In accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures, the allegations were immediately reported to An Garda Síochána (Irish police) for investigation,” Monsignor La Flynn said.

“The member of staff was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. He has since voluntarily resigned from his employment.

“The Diocese of Clogher, of which Lough Derg is a constituent part, and the management of Lough Derg are fully committed to adhering to the highest standards, practices, policies, and procedures for safeguarding, and to cooperating fully with the statutory authorities in all such cases.”

He urged anyone with “a concern or complaint, either now or from the past” to come forward and speak to the diocese and statutory authorities.