Convicted child rapist back in Derry – and attending under-age boxing tournaments
A vile paedophile behind sickening sex attacks on young girls has returned to Derry, sparking fears amongst parents – after he attended an under-age boxing tournament.
Edward Joseph O’Kane – known as Eddie – was originally from Bigwood Road, Ardmore, in the Waterside area of Derry. He is now aged 67.
He was jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl.
And because he denied the offences, his victim was forced to give evidence at his trial and wept as she recalled the attacks which included committing acts of gross indecency.
The brave victim went to police in 2006 and he was jailed for eight years in 2008. He also attacked a second girl. The attacks took place in the Ardmore area between 1969 and 1975.
Now brass-necked O’Kane has been spotted living in the Lettershandoney area in recent weeks and has also been spotted in Derry city centre, Tamnaherin and Waterside areas on several occasions.
There is considerable anger in the community after he attended an underage boxing event recently.
“He’s walking about here smiling at everyone as if he owns the place,” said one angry parent in Lettershandoney.
“He must think people are stupid or have forgotten what he did to the girls in Ardmore. O’Kane shouldn’t be near children.”
Another mum told Derry Daily: “People need to know about this man. Parents need to be warned.
“He should be on the sex offenders register and we think he is. If that’s the case then the PSNI need to lift him because he has been seen in the company of young children in recent weeks.”
February 2008
On trial for raping schoolgirl
A woman wept in court yesterday as she gave evidence against a sixty-one years old man who denies raping her almost forty years ago.
Edward Joseph O’Kane, from Bigwood Road, Ardmore, denies raping the complainant when she was twelve years of age. He also denies one charge of committing an act of gross indecency with the complainant and five charges of indecently assaulting her.
The defendant further denies a charge of indecently assaulting another schoolgirl. All the offences are alleged to have taken place in the Ardmore area between 1969 and 1975.
On the opening day of the trial at Derry Crown Court, the jury of seven women and five men were told by PPS barrister Ms. Jackie Orr Q.C. that the trial, which is expected to last one week, centred on allegations of sexual abuse by the defendant against two young girls.
She said the complainant alleged that the abuse took place on an almost nightly basis over a period of time. She told the jury that, when the complainant made a recorded statement to the police in January 2006, she said the alleged abuse started when she was seven or eight years of age. In relation to the rape charge, the complainant told the police that “she was crying throughout the act of intercourse”.
The prosecution barrister said that, when the defendant was arrested in December 2006, he described as “lies” the allegations made against him and denied all the sex abuse charges.
In her evidence, which was given via a television link to the courtroom, the complainant said the defendant raped her after she’d gone to his house after school.
“I shouted was anyone in? He called me into his bedroom”, she said. “I remember he pulled my pants down and he lay me on the bed and had sex with me”, she added.
The witness said the defendant then forced her to carry out a sex act on him and then threatened her not to tell anyone about the alleged abuse.
