Alarm raised over sicko’s location after he served time for abuse of two young girls
Neighbours had raised concerns that James Rooney – previously convicted of molesting his two young nieces – is living in a plush apartment complex just 220 metres from the Phoenix Park School, a primary school for children with severe emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.
We approached Rooney (41) shortly after he exited the building in the company of a young woman on Thursday afternoon.
When we put it to him that people on the street had contacted us to voice concerns at his presence, he initially asked who they had expressed these concerns to.
When told they had contacted the Sunday World, he responded: “I’ll move so.”
James Rooney speaks to our reporter
Rooney, who sexually abused his two young nieces after asking them to play games of ‘ nerves’ or ‘ tickles’, was sentenced to eight years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in 2012.
Then 32 years old, he pleaded guilty to five charges of sexual abuse on dates between January 2001 and October 2010, in both Dublin and Louth.
The first victim was aged between eight and 15 years old at the time, while her younger cousin was 13 years old.
Rooney, who origianlly hails from Lusk in north county Dublin and is a father himself, had nine previous convictions from the District Court.
None were for sexual offences.
The girls waived their right to anonymity so Rooney could be named in the media.
Judge Martin Nolan described it as ‘a distressing case’ in which Rooney took advantage of two young children that were effectively in his care.
He said he had caused the teenagers ‘horrific harm’ and their suffering ‘would have been expected’.
Judge Nolan accepted that Rooney had made attempts to rehabilitate by attending a treatment centre for sex offenders but said he was ‘ a mature man who should have known better’.
He sentenced Rooney to a consecutive sentences totalling eight years but suspended the final four years on condition that he keep the peace for four years upon his release from prison and engaged with the probation service for three years.
Sergeant Liam Donoghue told Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting, that the first victim was sexually abused by Rooney when she was eight years old.
He came into her bedroom and climbed in beside her in bed before asking her: ‘ Do you know where my tickles are?’
James Rooney speaks to our reporter
He then took her hand and made her touch his penis.
He left the room a few minutes later without saying anything.
A few weeks later she was playing in her home when he asked her did she want to play a game.
She said she didn’t but he came over to her, wrapped his arms around her and put his hands into her underwear before sexually abusing her.
She asked him to stop but he said ‘no’.
He kissed her neck during the assault and afterwards asked her for a kiss but she refused.
Rooney then spun her around by her shoulders and forcibly kissed her on the mouth.
The same girl was abused a number of occasions by Rooney when she started to babysit for him as a 14-year-old.
Each time he would come into a room that she was sleeping in and sexually abuse her by digitally penetrating her.
The girl later told gardaí that the abuse was very sore and Rooney was always fully clothed.
Her younger cousin was also sexually abused while she was babysitting for Rooney’s children.
Rooney’s victims waived their right to anonymity
He asked this girl if she wanted to play a game of nerves, she refused but he sexually abused her by digitally penetrating her and touching her breasts.
Rooney then told the girl not to tell anyone.
Sgt Donoghue told Ms Small that the girls made their allegations in 2010 and Rooney was arrested that November.
He made full admissions. Two victim impact reports were handed into court but were not read out.
Luigi Rea BL, defending, said Rooney received treatment in December 2010 and had later been psychiatrically assessed.
He said Rooney was abused as a child and submitted to the court that his client’s life would be destroyed now as there will be a ‘great deal of publicity’ about the case.
Mr Rea said Rooney took an overdose on the ‘realisation of his wrongdoing’ but added ‘he has been man enough to admit it’.
A man who raised the alarm about Rooney’s presence told the Sunday World that he understood sex offenders like Rooney have to live somewhere, but efforts should be made to house them as far from school and other facilities for children as possible.
“Look, people in the area get that they have to go somewhere,” he said.
“But it shouldn’t be within shouting distance of a school or on a road where children will be walking by.
“Everyone knows the State is involved in accommodating people of this nature.
“But the proximity of schools and childcare facilities needs to be taken into account when it does.”