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A Government minister’s brother has been given a four-year suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old schoolgirl who was working alone in a small country shop.

John Ring of 35 Dunbeag, Castlebar, Co Mayo, had been placed on probation for a year when he first appeared for trial before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in December 2015.

Ring, 49, had initially pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the Transition Year student at the shop in north Co Galway on July 22, 2014.

He had also denied a second charge of harassing the girl as she walked home alone along a country lane later that same day.

John Ring is the brother of Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring.

The shop or its location cannot be named in order to protect the girl’s identity.

The trial got underway in December 2015, but following an outline of the facts to the jury, Ring immediately changed his plea to guilty to the sexual assault charge.

Defence barrister, Diarmuid Connolly told the sentence hearing today that Ring had taken every chance given to him by the court and the probation service to avoid a custodial sentence.

He said that according to the probation report, Ring was “genuinely trying to change his behaviour in order to avoid reoffending”.

(Image: Hany Marzouk)

“He seems to have reached a better understanding and I cannot put it any further,” Mr Connolly said.

He added that the publicity surrounding the case had put severe stress on Ring and had led to his isolation. He said this had affected his employment prospects and he asked for sentence to be finalised ‘in ease of everyone’.

Judge Rory McCabe said he had indicated two years ago to the day that the appropriate sentence was four years and he had also indicated that the manner in which that sentence was to be served would depend on how Ring co-operated with the probation service.

Reading the most recent probation report, Judge McCabe said a sentence which acted as a deterrent would be most appropriate in this case.

He then sentenced Ring to four years in prison which he suspended for five years on condition Ring be of good behaviour during that period and also on the undertaking that he have no contact with the girl or her family. He noted Ring was already on the Sex Offender’s Register.

The second charge of harassment was withdrawn by the State.

The court had heard in March 2016, that the girl had just turned 17 two days before this attack.

She had a summer job in a neighbour’s shop and was left alone at lunchtime to run the premises. Ring came in around 1.45pm.

He asked her for a pack of cigarettes. She checked the display for the particular brand but could not find them. He asked her if she had a boyfriend.

She pretended not to hear the question and she kept looking at the display. Ring leaned in over her and asked her did she ever get a sore back.

The girl told Ring she didn’t and she didn’t have the cigarettes he was looking for either. He went out and sat in his van.

He returned a few minutes later and called her down to the back of the shop which was empty at the time, on the pretext he was looking for something from the off licence.

He told the girl he was a physiotherapist before pinning her in the corner from behind.

He put his hands either side of her neck and held her firmly.

Ring then put his knee between the girl’s legs and told her to spread them while moving one hand inside her blouse.

The girl later told gardai Ring held her against her will and was very rough. She told him to stop but he wouldn’t.

She said he was pushing his groin against her and she knew he was aroused.

A customer came in and Ring let the girl go. As he left the shop he said to her: “Well, you aren’t shy.”