Mayo man (89) who was 'self-proclaimed pillar of society' jailed for historical sexual assault of child

By Claire Henry and Isabel Hayes

An 89-year-old “self-proclaimed pillar of society” has been jailed for three years for the historical sexual assault of a five-year-old child.

Pat Salmon, of Rockfield, Knock, Claremorris, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five counts of sexual assault at his home on dates in 1995. He has no previous convictions.

The injured party wished for Salmon to be named in the reporting of this case, but did not wish for her name to be published. Salmon was aged 59 when the offence took place and she was a five-year-old child.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said: “You taught me fear, and you also taught me how to hide it.”

“You masqueraded as a normal person; you placed yourself in a self-proclaimed pillar of society. You were seen as a pillar in Knock, how could I go up against you?”

Sentencing Salmon on Monday, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said the complainant in the case was “so very young”.

“As she said in her victim impact report, the most difficult thing she should have been doing was learning to tie her shoelaces,” the judge said. “She was effectively stripped of her innocence at an extraordinarily young age.”

Ms Justice Biggs said the abuse by Salmon involved “planned, considered acts, done for sexual gratification”. She said the circumstances of the abuse were “blatantly sexual” and a “grotesque violation”.

“She was a very young child being exposed to sexual acts that no child should see, let alone be required to carry out,” the judge said.

The judge noted that she was bound by the maximum penalty of five years as set out by law at the time of Salmon's offending and that she was also obliged to impose a sentence that was proportionate.

She noted the mitigating factors included Salmon's guilty plea, his old age and ill-health along with the fact he has no previous convictions. “He is entering his last decade,” she said.

The judge set a headline sentence of five years, which she reduced to three years taking the mitigating factors into account.

She thanked the complainant for taking part in the process, telling her: “Unless we have women like you willing to make statements of this nature, these cases can't be prosecuted.” She wished her well in the future.

At a sentence hearing last week, Detective Garda Paula Griffin told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Salmon's offending came to light when the injured party told a sibling and their partner about the abuse.

She then called a crisis helpline and disclosed the abuse. The Mayo Divisional Protective Services was contacted and the injured party attended Claremorris Garda Station.

The court heard that when she attended the garda station, she handed a letter to the gardai which she had received from Salmon. In the letter, Salmon outlined that he was “remorseful”. He had written: “I deserve this, no home, no family, they hate me.”

In her statement to gardai, the woman said Salmon was known to her and her family and was a “trusted” person. She then described a number of incidents that occurred in the spring of 1995 when he brought her to the bathroom in his home, removed his clothing from the waist down, and made her masturbate him. The offending would last up to 10 minutes.

The court heard that on another occasion, “an unusual event” happened, and Salmon told the child that they were “going to try something different”. Salmon then placed his penis in the child’s mouth. The injured party told the gardai that she was scared, but Salmon reassured her, “it would be ok”.

Det Gda Griffin said she spoke with Salmon in December 2024 who was aware of the allegations against him. He immediately moved out of the area and has not returned since. Salmon was interviewed three times on two different dates. During his first interview, he said, “As a religious man, I would say the devil took over for a period of time, a couple of months, and then it discontinued”.

Salmon denied the masturbation charges during all interviews, but during the first interview, he said the injured party held his penis.

A victim impact statement was read to the court, which said, “A five-year-old child should learn to tie their shoelaces and draw pictures that their family can stick to the fridge. They should believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny”.

“It was only when I reached my teenage years that I realised what you had done. The trauma did not end when the abuse stopped.” She said that she “never felt worthy of being loved”.

“There are no paedophiles in heaven,” she said. “Finally, on October 23, I got to hear you plead guilty. You will get your comeuppance. May your punishment be as severe and impacts on you as your actions had on me.”

She finished by saying: “What you did will always be part of my story, but it will not define me. Your power over me has ended. Good riddance.”

Det Gda Griffin agreed with Conor McKenna BL, defending, that she contacted Salmon on the day the injured party dropped his letter into the garda station. She cautioned him over the phone and told him to speak with a solicitor.

The garda agreed with counsel that Salmon provided a voluntary statement to the gardai and a statement was also taken from a member of his family who had heard Salmon say that there was “truth to it” regarding the allegations.

Mr McKenna said his client has written a letter of apology in which he wished to acknowledge the “hurt” he has caused and outlined that he has “deep regret and sorrow”. Medical reports were also handed into the court, which outlined several medical conditions such as congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Counsel said his client qualified in the UK in mental health nursing and worked with adults and children with learning disabilities. He moved to Ireland and became the director of a residential care unit in Galway.

In 1983, he moved to Knock in Co Mayo. He was a member of the Knock National School Board of Management and a volunteer with the Order of Malta for many years.

Counsel asked the court to have regard to Salmon’s age of 89, that he does not have much time left, his health difficulties, and the fact that incarceration would be isolating for him.

He also asked the court to take the early guilty plea and his good work life into consideration when sentencing.

Ms Justice Biggs highlighted the extraordinary victim impact statement read to the court and described it as “heartbreaking”.

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.