Man (61) jailed at Antrim Crown Court for historical child sex abuse offences
A 61-year-old man from the Ballymena area has been jailed for a number of historical child sexual abuse offences.
Herbert (Herbie) Balmer, with an address listed as Colonsay Park, was sentenced to seven and a half years, at Antrim Crown Court, on Thursday, March 13.
Balmer, who was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and six counts of gross indecency with or towards a child, will serve six and a half years in custody and 12 months on probation.
He will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for five years.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Claire Gilbert, from the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward to bring Balmer before the courts to answer for his crimes.
“We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously. We have a team of dedicated Detectives who are determined to bring anyone involved in any form of abuse before the courts to answer for their crimes, no matter when they occurred.
"As this case demonstrates, it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, even if it happened many years ago.
“Please be assured that we have specially trained officers who will treat victims with sensitivity and respect – at every stage of the process. I would continue to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. "