A woman awaiting sentencing for child sex offences who was readmitted to bail on two occasions after breaching conditions is back in custody after again contacting the victim.
Eleanor Moore (29), from Craigavon Park, Fintona, admitted intentionally sexually touching a boy aged under 16, on dates between November 2020 and February 2021.
She further accepted communicating sexually with him for her own gratification between November 2020 and March 2021.
It was previously disclosed Social Services alerted police over concerns around Moore’s engagement with the boy.
She was arrested in early 2022, then released on bail to have no contact with the child, however she breached this several times, on each occasion being found with him, after he was repeatedly reported as missing from home.
Examination of Moore’s phone revealed sexual communications with him.
Following arrest for a different bail breach last summer, a detective believed she would, “continue to tell (boy) not to engage with police or other services. There is a high-risk of child sexual exploitation as he appears besotted … Social Services have made numerous reports of her continuing to engage with the child. It’s evident she shows no regard for bail conditions, despite charges for serious sexual offences with a child.”
The guilty pleas were entered at Dungannon Crown Court in November, where Judge Brian Sherrard ordered pre-sentence reports and directed Moore to sign the Sex Offender Register.
He remanded her on continuing bail, warning there was to be no contact with the child.
However, within days she was brought before Dungannon Magistrates Court after police observed the child seated in her car.
The judge refused bail but Moore was later freed by Judge Sherrard after the defence assured she had “no intention of contacting the child”.
Her curfew was also relaxed to allow her to socialise over Christmas.
Earlier this month she was arrested again, this time appearing before Omagh Magistrates’ Court after the victim’s friend alerted police to a number of messages and calls from her on his phone.
The friend asked Moore, “Should you even be texting him?”
She responded, “You know too much.”
Bail was refused but the case was again brought to Dungannon Crown Court on January 9, where Judge Sherrard once more ordered Moore to be released.
Within hours she began contacting the victim who told police he initially received a number of calls which would be hung up on answering but this developed to her speaking.
Moore was arrested and appeared before Strabane Magistrates’ Court where a police officer explained during one call she told him they would be “together forever”.
She was also angry at the child’s friend for “getting her put in jail”.
Along with phone calls, there were multiple attempts at communication through Facebook and police have obtained a log of these.
Objecting to bail the officer said, “The defendant is awaiting sentencing for sexual activity and communication with a child and is on the Sex Offender Register. She was only released from prison for breaching the same conditions when she again contacted the victim the same day.
“These conditions have been breached on multiple occasions and the defendant shows no regard for them or the court … She knows she is not to contact the victim but persistently does …The contact is unwanted and it started as soon as she was released from prison.”
A defence barrister informed the court Moore does not accept she contacted the victim and denies breaching bail.
However, after consideration District Judge Alana McSorley found the breach proved and, remanding Moore in custody to await sentencing, added, “This is a matter for Judge Sherrard.”
