• News
• Irish News

‘VALID CONCERNS’

Man, 39, accused of grooming girl, 13, and acting as her ‘sugar daddy’ is refused permission to live in Donegal.

• Published: 17:23, 27 Jul 2023
• Updated: 17:45, 27 Jul 2023

A MAN accused of grooming a 13-year-old girl and acting as her “sugar daddy” has been refused permission to live in Donegal.

Previous courts heard that 39-year-old Niall Cullen, from Co Down, has been “kicked out of the matrimonial home” and at Lisburn Magistrates Court.

Defence counsel Michael Halleron said the accused had lost his job with Citibank and has nowhere else to live but with his family in Carrigart, Co Donegal.

Cullen, who is on remand in Maghaberry but who had an address on the Hillsborough Road in Carryduff, faces charges of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, facilitating the complainant to send indecent images of herself, and engaging in sexual communication with the schoolgirl.

He is also facing charges of purchasing alcohol for a minor, possessing indecent photos of a child and causing or inciting the complainant to become involved in pornography.

The alleged offences were committed between January 1 last year and May 6 th

Charged alongside him and on bail is Kris Mervyn Coleman, 37, from Thornwood in Banbridge.

Coleman is facing two charges each of having indecent images of the schoolgirl and buying alcohol to be delivered to a person under 18.

In addition, he faces single charges of engaging in sexual communication with the schoolgirl, distributing or showing an indecent image of a child and obstructing a police officer.

These are all alleged to have been committed between 6 October last year and 3 May this year.

When the pair were initially charged in May a prosecuting lawyer outlined that “essentially, this is what I think is colloquially known as a sugar daddy case.”

In court today a Detective Constable said police were concerned about the risk off Cullen committing further offences, adding that having spoken to the local Gardai sergeant in Carrigart, “he is not confident that they have the power to police this or that he has any legal footing to police bail conditions.”

As part of his bail conditions, Cullen must live at an approved address, is prohibited from accessing the internet and from having any device which can be used to go online.

But Mr Halleron told the court Cullen’s parents intended to remove their internet router.

He also revealed that Cullen’s brother was willing to lodge a £10,000 cash surety with the court but Dep. District Judge Philip Mateer asked rhetorically whether “his brother is going to stand over him?”

Highlighting that it is so easy to get online, the judge said the police had raised “valid concerns” so while “I’m not denigrating the Gardai or their resources I can fully understand, particularly how in a rural area like Carigart, they may not have as many officers who can supervise whether he is abiding by bail.”

Refusing to allow Cullen to move across the border, DJ Mateer said if the brother could raise £10,000 as a cash surety, “I’m sure that he can find some way to find residential accommodation in this jurisdiction that the police are content with.”