The former head of the Fire and Rescue Service has been jailed for eight months for the indecent assault of a teenage girl.
Ex-chief officer Gary Thompson (56), of Rogan Wood in Newtownabbey, was told he will spend a further 15 months on supervised licence with the Probation Board following his release.
Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault on the female who was referred to in court as ‘Jane’.
However, the complainant, Nikella Holmes subsequently waived her right to anonymity after her perpetrator was sentenced.
The offences were committed between July 1 and November 1 2006. Seven further counts of indecent assault were left on the books.
The court heard the offending took place when Ms Holmes was just 15 and the defendant was 38.
It was the prosecution case that the victim joined a Co Antrim church in her early teens and she got to know the defendant as he ran a Christian course.
In 2005, she spent further time with Thompson in his role as the church’s youth work and he was described as “playful and tactile” in his interactions with her.
In March 2006 one of her relatives died and the defendant texted her frequently and she replied.
By June that year, the pattern of texting had become well established and the content became “more flirtatious and sexualised”.
On July 1 2006, the victim went to a friend’s house for a party and it was arranged that Thompson would collect her by car and bring her home.
In written prosecution submissions by Laura Ivers KC, she said the victim was intoxicated and before she got out of the car Thompson “kissed and hugged her”.
“She made it clear to him that she was 15 years of age and the defendant subsequently apologised to her.”
However, on five further occasions during the summer of 2006, Thompson collected her and brought her home in the early hours of the morning.
Thompson was also collecting the teenager “who was sneaking out of the family home while her parents slept”.
On each occasion he drove her to “secluded areas” and they engaged in sexual contact which entailed intimate kissing, and non-penetrative touching of her body over clothing.
A further incident happened in October 2006 when the defendant persuaded Ms Holmes to sit on his knee while they were in the church building. He hugged her and touched her legs and she later told police this made her feel “uncomfortable”.
By the autumn of 2006, the victim felt she was in a relationship with Thompson, even though he was married.
But in late 2006, Thompson’s wife was injured in an accident and he told Ms Holmes the physical contact between them would stop - however they still remained in contact.
After making disclosures about the relationship, Thompson’s church leaders met with him and he apologised for his “inappropriate relationship” with the victim and he would no longer involved in church youth work.
Ms Holmes eventually made a complaint to police in 2018 and Thompson was arrested and questioned about her complaints.
He accepted that he had been in a relationship with her but only involved kissing and hugging and that he had drinking in excess at the time.
Thompson initially said he believed she was aged 17 but later conceded that he had become aware that was in fact only 15.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Holmes said that after her relative died in March 2006, Thompson had “preyed on her by taking advantage of her vulnerability and need for support”.
She wrote that he “offered her no real emotional support but exploited her grief in order to start a sexual relationship with her.”
Ms Holmes stated that the emotional and sexual abuse she suffered “has clouded every period and major event” in her life.
She said that the defendant’s treatment of her “ruined her faith, her relationship with God and her relationship with members of her church” and is still “shunned'' by some members of the congregation who chose to support Thompson.
In written defence submissions from Kieran Mallon KC, Thompson said at the time of his offending he was drinking heavily.
In a pre-sentence report compiled by the Probation Service, Thompson expressed she regret and remorse for his conduct.
He said in 2006 he had become a “functioning alcoholic” and had driven over the limit on more than one occasion.
Following his arrest in 2018, Thompson was suspended from his post as chief fire officer until he retired in 2020.
In her sentencing remarks Judge RoseAnne McCormick KC said: “This is a case in which it is clear that the victim, then a young teenager, was exploited, groomed and subjected to serious offending. The interests of the victim will always remain at the heart of this criminal justice process.
“This court finds that the defendant’s sexual and emotional exploitation of this vulnerable teenager has caused lasting harm.”
Following sentencing, Ms Holmes released a statement saying: “Predators must face the consequences of their actions as my abuser has done today.
“I would encourage anyone who has gone through abuse to report if they wish to do so. There is support for you.”
Detective Chief Inspector Claire McGarvey, said: “Thompson was in a position of trust in the community and held in high regard.
“He took advantage of a 15 year old child who he manipulated and believed he was in a ‘relationship’ with.
“He preyed on her and thought he would get away with it through manipulation. He was wrong.
She added: “We will continue to work around the clock to bring child predators before the courts and would encourage anyone who may have been abused in a similar way to come forward. The passage of time doesn’t matter.
“Child abuse cannot continue in Northern Ireland, we will do everything in our power to stop predators in their tracks and get victims the justice they deserve.”