In 2019, the Offender Database reported that John Workman, then 34, of Craighyhill, Larne, County Antrim, was sentenced to a total of four years at Antrim Crown Court. Workman, a youth football coach, admitted to a vile campaign of grooming and sexual abuse against a 13-year-old girl. The court heard that John Workman exploited his role to position himself as a “father figure” to the victim, a trust he horrifically betrayed for his own “sexual gratification” between March and October 2014.
The investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) uncovered that the sickening abuse involved multiple acts of sexual penetration. The prosecution, led by Terence Mooney QC, revealed that Workman’s predatory behaviour resulted in the teenager being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). When Workman feared that his depraved activities had attracted the attention of local paramilitaries, he callously instructed the girl to delete all evidence of their communication on social media and text messages in a deplorable attempt to protect himself.
John Workman pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming and three counts of sexual activity with a child. Despite his claims that there was an “element of consent,” Judge Brian Sherrard emphasised that as a mature adult, Workman was fully aware his actions were illegal and a horrendous breach of trust. The victim eventually confided in a teacher due to concerns for Workman’s safety from outside parties, which finally brought his predatory conduct to light.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual crimes, John Workman was sentenced to two years in prison followed by two years on licence. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and is indefinitely barred from ever working with children again. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the PSNI, remaining under intensive supervision for the duration of his life. Any attempt to contact the victim or any breach of his strict registration requirements in Larne, Antrim, or elsewhere will result in his immediate return to custody.
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