Belfast man jailed for sexual assault of 13-year-old girl

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 17:11 · Archive

A 25-year-old Belfast man was sentenced to four years for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and 18 other offences.

Pearse Jordan O'Neill, 25, from Fallswater Street in Belfast, was sentenced to four years at Belfast Crown Court for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and 18 other offences. The sentence will be divided equally between prison and licence.

On 4 May last year, O'Neill visited the girl's home. When she answered the door, he asked if her mother was in. After being told she was upstairs, he asked to come inside. Once in the house, he sat on the sofa, made small talk, and then used one hand to pull the girl towards him whilst using the other to touch her breasts over her clothes, asking her to give him a kiss. When she jumped up and told him to leave, he asked, 'Why are you freaking out?' before telling her not to tell anyone.

The girl ran upstairs and told her mother what had happened. Her mother followed O'Neill up the street and called the Police Service of Northern Ireland. When arrested, O'Neill initially denied the assault. He continued to deny it until the day his trial was due to start, when he pleaded guilty. Judge Mark Reel said the guilty plea was welcomed as it 'avoided the need for young victim having to re-live the episode in court'. O'Neill also pleaded guilty to 18 offences dating back to November 2024.

How it is being reported

• Belfast man jailed for litany of crimes including sexual assault of 13-year-old girlFollowing his arrest, O'Neill denied sexually assaulting the girl and said to police, "she's a kid, for f*** sake."Belfast Live · 5 Nov, 16:21
• Belfast man with 119 previous convictions jailed for sexual assault of 13-year-old girl and crime spreeBelfast Telegraph · 5 Nov, 16:20

In this story: Pearse Jordan O'Neill · Belfast · Belfast Crown Court

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