A 55-YEAR-OLD man has become the second person in Co. Fermanagh to be prosecuted for alleged historical sex abuse as part of a major investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Gerard Quaile (55), from Sylvan Hill, Lisnaskea, will appear in court in Enniskillen Magistrates’s Court next week where he will face nine charges of alleged sex abuse involving a number of victims during the 1980s.
It is understood that Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) issued a decision on June 7 to prosecute Mr. Quaile in relation to the allegations of non-recent sexual abuse.
It comes after former Enniskillen businessman James Balmer (85) became the first person in the county to be prosecuted as part of the 18-month-long police probe.
He was due to be formally arraigned at Dungannon Crown Court in June, but did not appear due to medical grounds.
More than a dozen people, including Mr. Balmer and Mr. Quaile, were arrested in connection with mostly unconnected allegations of sex abuse.
Some 11 of those arrests took place in counties Fermanagh, Antrim and Londonderry last August.
It was part of a significant investigation by the PSNI after former Impartial Reporter journalist Rodney Edwards reported a number of sexual abuse allegations in this newspaper against several men and women.
The PPS is expected to make further decisions on whether or not to prosecute other men and women soon.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here