Case No. 1202Sexual assault · Co. Donegal
Man found guilty of sexual assault of five boys in Donegal
Martin Joseph Cullen, a 63-year-old man from Colehill, Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was found guilty on 31 July 2025 of seven counts of sexual assault of five boys on various dates between 1993 and 2007 in Donegal. He was first arrested at his home in December 2017 after one victim made an official complaint to Gardaí that year. Cullen pleaded not guilty when arraigned at a five-day trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court, where a jury of six men and six women deliberated for one hour and 38 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on all seven counts. He was remanded in custody for sentencing until the next sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court in October 2025.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted31 Jul
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Cullen was charged with sexually assaulting five boys, including showing some of them pornography on a phone.
- Where
- The assaults took place at locations in Donegal; Cullen is from Colehill, Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal.
- When
- The assaults occurred on various dates between 1993 and 2007.
- Investigation
- Cullen was first arrested at his home in December 2017 after one victim made an official complaint to Gardaí that year; the investigation was conducted by Detective Garda Bobby Carey and Detective Garda Eoin Waters.
- Charges
- Cullen was charged with seven counts of sexual assault under section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990 as amended by section 37 of the Sexual Offenders Act, 2001.
- In court
- Cullen pleaded not guilty when arraigned at a five-day trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court; a jury of six men and six women deliberated for one hour and 38 minutes and found him guilty on all seven counts on 31 July 2025.
- Sentence
- Cullen was remanded in custody for sentencing until the next sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court in October 2025.
- Other details
- Cullen, a former delivery driver, was 63 at the time of the trial; some complainants were between seven and 13 years old when the incidents occurred.
20 statements extracted from the articles
- whatCullen was charged with showing some of the boys pornography on a phone (irishmirror.ie)
- whereCullen is from Colehill, Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe assaults occurred on various dates between 1993 and 2007 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationCullen was first arrested at his home in December 2017 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe investigation was conducted by Detective Garda Bobby Carey and Detective Garda Eoin Waters (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationOne victim made an official complaint to Gardaí in 2017 (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeAll seven charges were under section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990 as amended by section 37 of the Sexual Offenders Act, 2001 (irishmirror.ie)
- courtCullen was found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial lasted five days at Letterkenny Circuit Court (irishmirror.ie)
- courtA jury of six men and six women deliberated for one hour and 38 minutes (irishmirror.ie)
- courtCullen pleaded not guilty when arraigned (irishmirror.ie)
- courtJudge Roderick Maguire read the charge to the jury (irishmirror.ie)
- courtCullen was remanded in custody for sentencing until the next sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court in October (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe legal aid certificate was extended to allow for a psychological and psychiatric report on the accused (irishmirror.ie)
- courtDefence was led by Mr James McGowan, SC, with Peter Nolan, BL, instructed by solicitor Mr Donough Cleary (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe State was represented by Ms Fiona Crawford, BL (irishmirror.ie)
- otherCullen was a former delivery driver (irishmirror.ie)
- otherOne complainant was about seven or eight years old when the incident occurred (irishmirror.ie)
- otherSome complainants were between eight and 13 years old when shown pornography on an old Nokia phone (irishmirror.ie)
- otherCullen told detectives he refused to answer questions he knew nothing about (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 31 Jul2025Emotional scenes as man found guilty of abuse of five boys after five-day trial
Reports the guilty verdict on all seven counts after a five-day trial, details of the jury deliberation, witness testimony from victims and family members, and the remand for sentencing.
convicted, 63, male, irish (judged from name)victim, malevictim, malevictim, malevictim, malevictim, male