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Belfast man jailed over historic sexual abuse of girl

March 23, 2025 by

A MAN from Belfast has been jailed after he was convicted of two counts of indecent assault on a young girl.

At Belfast Crown Court on Thursday, 50-year-old William Sale was handed a 14-month custodial sentence.

His 52-year-old wife, Linda Sale, was given a 12-month suspended sentence at the same court for attempting to supply a class A controlled drug to the injured party.

The abuse occurred when the girl was aged between 11 and 15.

“It takes courage for victims of all crimes, but especially crimes of a sexual nature, to come forward and report to police,” said Detective Sergeant Knight of the PSNI.

“Now an adult, the victim in this case has been living with the trauma of what happened to her for a large part of her life.

“Her courage and bravery to come forward to police and then aid us in our investigation should be commended.

“We treat all allegations of sexual offences sensitively and with compassion and have specially trained detectives who ensure victims are listened to, safeguarded and supported from the moment they report.

“You don’t have to suffer in silence.”

William Sale is subject to a restraining order for five years and is required to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

He was also disqualified from working with children.

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