The first person to be prosecuted in Northern Ireland following a series of historical child sexual abuse claims in Co Fermanagh is to appear in court this week. Former businessman James Balmer (86) will appear at Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court to be returned for trial in the Crown Court in relation to five alleged charges of indecent assault. His appearance in court comes after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced it was prosecuting one individual, having reviewed an investigation file submitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). More than a dozen people have been arrested in connection with mostly unconnected allegations of historical sexual abuse in Co Fermanagh. It is all part of a major investigation by the PSNI over the past 18 months after local newspaper The Impartial Reporter reported a plethora of historical sexual abuse allegations against several men and women in the county.

Source: Irish Independent May 02, 2021 01:36 UTC