Thomas Howard was in charge of 1993 Derry-Cork All-Ireland final
Undated photo of Thomas Howard as referee.
A prominent former GAA referee has been told he can expect a prison term when he is sentenced next month for indecently assaulting his niece from when she was three or four years old until she reached puberty.
Thomas Howard (79), of Old Kilcullen, Co Kildare, appeared before Judge Sineád McMullen for sentencing at Tullamore Circuit Court yesterday, when details were revealed of how he had manipulated and coerced Maeve Leahy in the mid-1980s and 1990s.