Ballymena Man Jailed For Historical Child Sexual Abuse

A 61-year-old man from the Ballymena area has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for historical child sexual abuse offences.

Herbert (Herbie) Balmer will serve six and a half years in custody, followed by 12 months on probation. He was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and six counts of gross indecency with or towards a child. Additionally, he will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for five years.

Detective Chief Inspector Claire Gilbert from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Public Protection Branch praised the victims for their courage in coming forward. "I would like to commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward to bring Balmer before the courts to answer for his crimes," she said. The PSNI emphasised its commitment to investigating all allegations of sexual abuse, regardless of when they occurred. "We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously. We have a team of dedicated Detectives who are determined to bring anyone involved in any form of abuse before the courts to answer for their crimes, no matter when they occurred," Detective Chief Inspector Gilbert stated.

She highlighted that the case demonstrates that it is never too late to report sexual abuse. "As this case demonstrates, it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, even if it happened many years ago," she said.

The PSNI assured victims that they would be treated with sensitivity and respect throughout the process. "Please be assured that we have specially trained officers who will treat victims with sensitivity and respect – at every stage of the process," Detective Chief Inspector Gilbert said.

She encouraged anyone who has experienced sexual abuse to contact the police. "I would continue to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. Once you've made a report, you don't have to come into a police station, detectives can arrange to meet you at a time and place that best suits you."