Northern Ireland

Former postman convicted of sexually abusing three young schoolgirls jailed for three years

Daniel Hill, pictured at an earlier hearing, was jailed yesterday at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Alan Lewis/PhotopressBelfast
Daniel Hill, pictured at an earlier hearing, was jailed yesterday at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Alan Lewis/PhotopressBelfast Daniel Hill, pictured at an earlier hearing, was jailed yesterday at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Alan Lewis/PhotopressBelfast

A FORMER postman convicted of sexually abusing three young schoolgirls was jailed for three years yesterday.

Jailing Daniel Hill at Antrim Crown Court, judge Brian Sherard said it was his view that the 68-year-old, who maintains his innocence, continues to "represent a serious danger...to prepubescent children"

He said the fact he has no "sustained family network would in fact serve to highlight or heighten that risk".

Hill from Clare Road, Ballycastle, was last year convicted of seven counts of indecently assaulting three young girls on unknown dates between November 9 1995 and June 13 2001.

The court heard how the victims would often come to his house to play with his daughter and that is where they were sexually abused from around the age of five to 10 years.

The abuse amounted to Hill groping the girls’ breasts, bottoms and private parts.

An earlier hearing heard that in 2001, the girls’ teacher intercepted a note being passed around that said, "I hate Danny Hill; I hate him too; I hate the way he puts his hand down your pants".

The note was given to Eamon Magee, headmaster of St Patrick’s & St Brigid’s Primary School, but despite arranging a meeting with the parents of all three girls, the note was never shown to them nor its contents read to them.

At the time, Hills’ wife was a teacher at the school and prosecuting lawyer Tessa Kitson revealed how one victim only realised her father had not seen the note when the trial had begun.

"As a child of 10, right until this trial started, she had always believed that her father had been shown the note and decided to do nothing about it but brush it under the carpet," said Mrs Kitson.

"This was in 2001, not the 40s or 50s or a Magdalene Laundry setting - any delay in this case lies fairly and squarely at the feet of Mr Magee....and that is something that Mr Magee should reflect on and address his mind to."

In court yesterday, Mrs Kitson said Hill had abused multiple victims who were vulnerable due to their "extreme youth" and by touching them inappropriately, he had abused the trust placed in him.

"He was known to the victims as the local postman and known to the children as the husband of a teacher at their school so in my submission, this was a breach of trust," argued Mrs Kitson.

She said "there clearly was a degree of planning or premeditation" by Hill, who she said had shown no remorse and already lodged an appeal against his conviction and "even before he has been sentenced".

Defence QC Peter Irvine conceded "there is no doubt that a custodial sentence is appropriate in these circumstances", but highlighted Hill's ill health, including a recent cancer diagnosis.

Jailing Hill, Judge Sherard said he had "significant regard" to his ill health but was satisfied the "prison state is capable of accommodating your medical needs".

He said he had taken account of the victim impact reports and it was "to their credit that these young women have not been overwhelmed by the abuse" perpetrated upon them.

Judge Sherard ordered Hill to sign the police sex offenders register for the rest of his life and imposed a five-year sexual offences prevention order.

Mr Magee, who is still principal at St Patrick's & St Brigid's PS, was yesterday unavailable. He previously declined to comment on the case.

In a statement after the sentencing yesterday, a NSPCC spokeswoman said Hill had "carried out a series of predatory and appalling attacks on his young victims and is now rightly behind bars".

"Sexual abuse ruins childhoods with the effects lasting long into adulthood, but this case shows once again that survivors can come forward and receive justice and support no matter how long ago the crimes against them took place," she said.