Make a comment

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

NY woman recants sexual assault charge in Ireland

An innocent man convicted of sexual assault has had his name cleared

Tweet

Una Hardester, pictured 6 months before she made false molestation allegations in Ireland

A  22-year-old woman living in the U.S. retracted a statement she made against a neighbor in Co. Galway 12 years ago claiming he sexually assaulted her.

Una Hardester was 10 when she alleged that her neighbor, Michael Feichin Hannon, sexually assaulted her in a field near her home in Aughrismore, Cleggan, Co. Galway in 1997.

Hannon, now 34, was found guilty by a jury and received a four-year suspended sentence.

Hardester, who has been living in the U.S. since the incident, is unlikely to face prosecution in Ireland. Sources in the Gardai (Irish police) say that Hardester would not be asked to return to Ireland to answer for her wrongdoings more than a dozen years ago.

When she returned to Ireland to confess that she had made false allegations against Hannon, Hardester told local media that she expected to be arrested and charged. She said she would return voluntarily to Ireland if asked to do so by the Gardai.

Hardester said her motivation for making the allegations was “revenge and misplaced loyalty to my family,” and she now wanted to tell the truth so Hannon’s name could be cleared.

“I don’t even remember that much about it, so I have no explanation for why I did it … it is a guilt I have to live with for the rest of my life,” she said.

Last week Hannon had his conviction declared a miscarriage of justice by the Court of Criminal Appeal. The court stated that Hannon was entitled to have his good name restored and that the case was “alarming and disturbing.” Hannon is now entitled to seek compensation from the Irish state.

There was a history of arguments between the Hardesters and the Hannons over property. Police had been called to the Hardester house on several occasions to deal with disputes between both families.

A few days before the incident Hardester had been in court with her father, Crofton, who was convicted of assaulting Hannon’s father.

Hannon told the Gerry Ryan Show in Ireland last week, "I am disgusted and disturbed she was able to come up with these allegations about me in the first place. At the same time, I suppose she had the good grace to come back and sort it out.”

Hannon added, “I thank her for that. I suppose a part of me forgives her, but part of me can't understand why either, but I am happy she came back. It took a lot of courage. She could have easily left me the way I was.”

It emerged that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) lost the file that exonerated Hannon from the assault, causing a delay of more than a year in clearing his name. Hannon’s conviction was quashed in February 2008. However, Hardester made the statement in December 2006, when she was 20.

Print

E-mail

Tweet