A MAN who committed multiple historic child sex offences has been jailed today.
Herbert ‘Herbie’ Balmer, of Ballymena in Co. Antrim, was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and six counts of gross indecency with or towards a child.
The 61-year-old was sentenced today to seven and a half years, of which he will serve six and a half years in custody and 12 months on probation.
“I would like to commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward to bring Balmer before the courts to answer for his crimes,” Detective Chief Inspector Claire Gilbert from the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch, said today.
“We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously,” she explained.
“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.”
Det Chf Insp Gilbert added: “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.”
Balmer will be subject to a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) for five years.