Repeat Breaches of Release Conditions Send Convicted Rapist Simon McGinley Back to Prison

Simon McGinley, the man behind the 1990s “C Case” and a 2009 conviction for raping an 86-year-old woman, appeared before the Central Criminal Court for breaching his release conditions. Prosecutor Fiona McGowan detailed that he repeatedly failed to notify the gardaí of address changes as required by the Sex Offenders Act. After a prior hearing in 2023 that reactivated two years of his sentence with a six-month suspension, the judge reactivated three months of that suspension, to run consecutively with a new 2½-year term imposed by Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Tony Hunt emphasized the need for compliance, stating further breaches would result in additional sentences. McGinley, without legal representation, acknowledged the judge’s instructions and was taken back into custody.