Ex-publican found guilty of sex offences

A former Portadown publican has been convicted of six counts of indecent assault and a charge of attempted buggery of a young boy, following a retrial in the case.
Gerard Judge.Gerard Judge.
Gerard Judge.

Gerard Judge, aged 63, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

However, at Craigavon Crown Court on Monday, Judge was found guilty of seven of the eight charges he was accused of.

Previously the former businessman had been sentenced to five years in prison for child sex offences.

Judge, of Millbrook Court, Aghacommon, Lurgan, had been found guilty in October 2015 by a majority verdict of seven indecent assaults on a male and one charge of attempted buggery of a boy under 16 and sentenced to five years in jail.

But in April 2017 Judge appealed his conviction which was quashed and the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial on the eight charges.

At Craigavon Crown Court on Monday, Judge was again convicted on seven of the eight charges which date from April 1980 and April 1983.

On six counts of indecent assault on a male he was found guilty.

On attempted buggery of a boy under 16 years old he was also found guilty.

On one count of indecent assault on a male he was found not guilty by direction of the judge and acquitted of that charge.

The court ordered that Judge’s bail be revoked and he was remanded in custody.

He will be returned to Craigavon Court for sentencing on March 22 and the court awaits pre-sentence reports.

Judge will also be required to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

At Judge’s previous trial the court heard that his victim has struggled with alcohol addiction and suicidal thoughts, and the sitting Judge Kinney said he hoped the sentencing would “bring closure” to him.