A former deputy mayor of Derry was jailed for four years yesterday (Friday) for historic sex abuse against a young girl.
James McKeever - who was suspended from the SDLP when the sexual offences came to light - was found guilty by a jury in May of eight charges
The 64-year old, from Tamneyreagh Park in Eglinton, stood trial at Belfast Crown Court on seven counts of indecently assaulting a young girl, and two counts of gross indecency with or towards a child.
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The offences spanned over a period from August 1981 to December 1988 when she was aged between eight and 14.
The former Derry and Strabane councillor, who together with his wife fostered around 50 children, denied all offences - but was found unanimously guilty of nine charges by a jury of six men and six women.
During the trial the complainant, who is now 47, said the abuse she suffered as a child by McKeever mainly involved sexual touching.
She recalled incidents in houses in and around Derry in the 80s and also spoke of being abused in Desmond’s Factory where McKeever used to rent an office.
During Friday’s sentencing, it emerged that McKeever still maintains his innocent - despite the jury’s verdicts.
Judge Donna McColgan QC spoke of the impact McKeever’s offending has had upon the complainaint, and said: “She has made every effort to look at the positives in her life but the feelings and memories of what happened in her childhood will always be with her.”
The Judge said that whilst there were multiple aggravating factors - such as the prolonged period the abuse occurred - the only mitigating features were McKeever’s “previous good character and his work in the community”.
As well as handing McKeever a four-year sentence, Judge McColgan also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period.
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