Ireland Case No. 7014Indecent assault · Co. Dublin
Former scout leader jailed for indecent assault in Dublin
James Gilleran, 70, a former scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in Dublin, indecently assaulted three boys aged 11 to 13 between 1983 and 1987, primarily through inappropriate touching at locations including White Friar Street Church and the Scout Hall. The victims, Rory Patchell, Stephen Devlin, and Greg Stafford, came forward after one recognised Gilleran on the Late Late Show in 2021 as a Cancer Society Daffodil Day volunteer, and he was arrested on 6 July 2022. Gilleran pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault and had a previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic, sentenced in 1997. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Orla Crowe at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 13 May 2025.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced13 May
6 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- James Gilleran, 70, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on three boys aged 11 to 13 between 1983 and 1987.
- The abuse primarily involved inappropriate touching while Gilleran was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in Dublin.
- Where
- The incidents took place at White Friar Street Church, the Scout Hall, Gilleran's family home in Co Longford, and the Iveagh Trust flats.
- When
- The offences occurred between 1983 and 1987.
- Investigation
- One victim recognised Gilleran on the Late Late Show in 2021 as a Cancer Society Daffodil Day volunteer and contacted gardaí, leading to his arrest on 6 July 2022.
- The Divisional Protective Service Unit at Kevin Street Garda Station investigated, and Gilleran did not accept any wrongdoing when interviewed.
- Charges
- Gilleran pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault.
- In court
- The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
- Sentence
- Judge Orla Crowe sentenced Gilleran to two years' imprisonment on 13 May 2025.
- Other details
- Gilleran had a previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic, sentenced to four years in 1997 and reduced to two years on appeal.
- The Irish Cancer Society stepped Gilleran down as a fundraising volunteer and was unaware of his previous convictions until the court reports.
61 statements extracted from the articles
- whatJames Gilleran has been jailed for two years for the historic sexual abuse of three young boys. (gript.ie)
- whatHe recruited young boys for the 117th Francis St. Scouts. (gript.ie)
- whatThe abuse primarily involved inappropriate touching. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys were aged between 11 and 13 when Gilleran abused them. (irishtimes.com)
- whatGilleran brought the first boy to a bar before the incident and gave him alcohol. (irishtimes.com)
- whatGilleran gave the second boy a glass of cider and asked him to touch his penis, but the boy refused. (irishtimes.com)
- whatGilleran brought the third boy to the cinema then to his home at Sundrive Park, gave him a can of beer and pornographic magazines, and indecently assaulted him. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe three boys were aged between 11 and 13 when the abuse occurred, and it primarily involved inappropriate touching. (rte.ie)
- whatHe was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in Dublin during the 1980s. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys were aged between 11 and 13 when abused. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe was a public face of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day fundraising campaign in 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA man he abused contacted gardaí after seeing Gilleran on The Late Late Show as a volunteer in 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe three boys were aged between 11 and 13 when the abuse occurred. (longfordleader.ie)
- whereOne victim was brought to the boiler room of White Friar Street Church, where Gilleran was a sacristan. (gript.ie)
- whereOne victim came into contact with Gilleran at the Iveagh Trust flats. (gript.ie)
- whereThe first incident took place in the boiler room of White Friar Street Church. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe second incident took place in the kitchen at the Scout Hall in June 1985. (irishtimes.com)
- whereGilleran worked as a sacristan at White Friar Street Church at that time. (rte.ie)
- whereGilleran abused the boys while he was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group. (longfordleader.ie)
- whereA third incident took place at Gilleran's family home in Co Longford. (longfordleader.ie)
- whenThe abuse dates back to the 1980s. (gript.ie)
- whenThe offences took place between 1983 and 1987. (rte.ie, longfordleader.ie)
- causeThe court heard the abuse primarily involved inappropriate touching. (longfordleader.ie)
- investigationGilleran was arrested on 6 July 2022. (gript.ie)
- investigationThe victims' statements led to an investigation by the Divisional Protective Service Unit at Kevin Street Garda Station. (gript.ie)
- investigationDet Garda Richard Mostyn of the Divisional Protective Services Unit in Kevin Street Garda station gave evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationRecords from Scouting Ireland were obtained as part of the investigation. (irishtimes.com, rte.ie, longfordleader.ie)
- investigationOne victim recognised Gilleran on the Late Late Show in 2021, then contacted another complainant, and a third complainant came forward. (rte.ie)
- investigationA man saw Gilleran on television and contacted gardaí to make a formal complaint. (longfordleader.ie)
- investigationThe three men later made formal complaints to gardaí that Gilleran had sexually abused them. (longfordleader.ie)
- investigationWhen interviewed by gardaí in 2022, Gilleran did not accept any wrongdoing. (longfordleader.ie)
- chargeGilleran pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on dates between 1983 and 1987. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeGilleran pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault. (rte.ie, longfordleader.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on dates between 1983 and 1987. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard in the Circuit Criminal Court. (gript.ie)
- courtThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe sentence was imposed at a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday, May 13. (longfordleader.ie)
- sentenceA sex abuser spotted on TV was jailed for two years. (extra.ie)
- sentenceGilleran was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. (rte.ie)
- sentenceGilleran was jailed for two years after being convicted of sexually abusing three young boys. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceHe had a previous conviction for sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic, sentenced to four years in 1997, reduced to two years on appeal. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJudge Orla Crowe sentenced Gilleran to two years' imprisonment. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherGilleran did not accept any wrongdoing when he was questioned. (gript.ie)
- otherGilleran has one previous conviction for a sexual assault, dating back to 1994. (gript.ie)
- otherOne victim contacted another complainant after seeing Gilleran on television, and a third then came forward. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran has one previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic, with a four-year sentence in 1997 reduced to two years on appeal. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe judge said the offending constituted a gross violation of children's bodily integrity, innocence, happiness, trust, childhood and peace of mind. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group between 1983 and 1987 and also worked as a sacristan in White Friar Street Church. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran wrote letters of apology to the men, who indicated they do not wish to receive them. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran was from Longford and moved to Dublin when he was 17. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran has health issues and was recently in hospital for a cardiac incident. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran was a carer for his long-term partner who passed away seven years ago. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in the 1980s. (rte.ie)
- otherGilleran has one previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic. (rte.ie)
- otherThe judge described Gilleran's offending as a gross violation of children. (rte.ie)
- otherThe Irish Cancer Society stepped Gilleran down as a fundraising volunteer and he has not volunteered for it since. (rte.ie)
- otherGilleran wrote letters of apology to the men, who have said they do not wish to receive them. (rte.ie)
- otherThe charity was unaware of his previous convictions until the court reports this week. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGilleran had one previous conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherGilleran's defence counsel said he entered an early guilty plea. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe judge described the offending as a gross violation of children. (longfordleader.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 23 May2025Former scout leader jailed for sexual abuse of boys in Longford and Dublin
Adds the sentencing report: the two-year sentence, the judge's remarks, mitigation, the victims' impact statements, the investigation's origin in a 2021 TV appearance, and the 2022 garda interview.
convicted, James Gilleran, 70, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleranvictim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Stafford - 14 May2025Convicted sex offender had no unsupervised access to children as ‘Daffodil Day’ volunteer, says charity
Reports the sentencing and the Irish Cancer Society's response regarding Gilleran's 2021 Daffodil Day volunteer role, including that he was not Garda vetted and the charity was unaware of his previous convictions until the court reports.
convicted, James Gilleran, 70, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleranvictim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Stafford - 14 May2025Victim recognised sex offender from Late Late Show appeal
Adds how the case came to light (a victim recognised Gilleran on the 2021 Late Late Show), the Irish Cancer Society's statement on his fundraising role, the judge's remarks, the victims' impact statements, a previous 1997 conviction, and Gilleran's letters of apology.
convicted, James Gilleran, 70, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleranvictim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Stafford - 14 May2025Sex abuser spotted on TV jailed for two years
The article body is an unrendered search template, so the only details come from the headline. No matching existing case was found.
convicted - 13 May2025Man reported former scout leader to gardaí after appearance on Late Late Show
Reports the sentencing of James Gilleran to two years' imprisonment for five counts of indecent assault on three boys during the 1980s, with details of the incidents, victim impact statements, and mitigating factors.
victim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Staffordconvicted, James Gilleran, 70, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleran - 13 May2025‘Daffodil man’ jailed for abuse of boys - Gript
Adds court detail from the Circuit Criminal Court sentencing: the three victims' names and impact statements, Gilleran's arrest on 6 July 2022, his denial of wrongdoing, a previous 1994 sexual assault conviction, and the Scouts and church settings.
convicted, James Gilleran, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleranvictim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Stafford