A 59-year old “spiritual healer” and farmer from Galway received a fully suspended prison term for sexually assaulting a then 16-year-old girl on an Aer Lingus transatlantic flight.
Patrick Noone of Kilconnell, Ballinasloe, recieved the suspended 20 momnths sentence for two counts of sexually assaulting an American teenager on a Boston bound flight from Shannon airport on November 15th, 2023.
Ennis Circuit court heard that Noone groped the teenager, kissed her arm, moved his hand to her thigh and then stuffed his hand down the back of the seat, grabbing her buttocks.
The teenager told the court in a victim impact statement that Noone said he was on his way to New Hampshire “to heal a house”.
A father of four daughters, Noone said he had five or six whiskeys before getting on the flight and was on medication at the time.
Noone was allocated a window seat on the flight, but sat in the middle to be beside the teenager.
After the teenager alerted cabin crew, the captain was told of the incident and flew the aircraft back to Shannon where Noone was arrested.
When questioned by Gardaí, Noone claimed to have no recollection of what he had done.
A Probation Service report on Noone concluded that he is at low risk of reoffending.
His name will be registered on the sex offenders’ register.
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