79-Year-Old Woman Jailed For Child Sexual Assault

A 79-year-old woman from Comber, Co Down, has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy in 1984. Hazel Templeton pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault on a male and three counts of inciting gross indecency with a child.

The offences occurred between 1st July 1984 and 31st August 1984. Templeton was interviewed by police in April 2023 following a report to the Public Prosecution Service. Initially denying the allegations and attempting to blame the victim, she later admitted her guilt.

At Laganside Court on Tuesday, 11th March, Templeton was sentenced to two years and nine months, with half to be served in custody and half on licence. She will also be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Douglas stated: "Hazel Templeton is a child predator who betrayed her position of trust, manipulated and took advantage of a young boy who trusted her. She preyed on him, groomed him and sexually exploited him for her own gratification."

The victim, who has suffered from mental health issues throughout his adult life, chose to speak anonymously to encourage other male victims to come forward. "For so many years all I felt was absolute confusion," he said. "The basis of any childhood is that you can trust adults. The need to keep a secret of that magnitude from friends and family led to me shutting down. I become paranoid that people would think less of me, especially as I entered adulthood. The teenage years can be challenging in the best of circumstances. However, it's a sad truth that children who are abused can find the challenge unbearable. She stole my childhood, she is charged with abuse offences but I see it as theft." He urged other male victims to seek help. "My message to young boys and men today is that you are not alone, the humiliation that you might imagine is probably just that, imagination. Consider how you might react if a friend came to you with the same problem, how would you treat them? There are people out there who will treat you with compassion. You shouldn't listen to the perpetrator as I did. You are not complicit in what happened to you. You deserve to be heard. Tell someone and see what they say to you, you may be surprised at their reaction. Living alone, in silence, with terrifying secrets only hinders your life. I am speaking from experience."

Detective Constable Douglas highlighted the rising number of non-recent child abuse reports. "Reports of non-recent child abuse in Northern Ireland are on the rise as more and more people break their silence and come forward. We would ask people not to keep the secrets of your abuser. We will continue to work around the clock to bring child predators before the courts and would encourage anyone who may have been abused in a similar way to come forward. There is no need to suffer in silence."

The victim praised the investigating officer's compassion and encouraged others to report abuse. "The hardest part for me was admitting that I was a victim. Today's outcome doesn't change what happened in the past but it has opened the doors for a better future without the weight of carrying 40 years of secrets. It is up to me how to proceed from here. But I have that choice because I refused to give in to an abuser, an offender and a criminal; because I spoke out and because there are people who will spend their time working for you, people who have sworn to protect you; people who you can trust."