Co Laois man (35) becomes second person to be convicted of paying for sex in North
A Co Laois man was fined £500 (€578) today after he admitted trying to pay for sexual services. In just the second case if it’s kind in Northern Ireland, Newry Magistrates Court heard that for 35-year-old John Bergin, media attention to his case “has been humiliating and degrading and a salutary lesson.” Although Bergin, from Fassidinas New Row, Abbeyleix in Co. Laois, did not attend court personally, defence counsel Kevin O’Hare entered guilty pleas to two offences on his behalf - trying to pay for sexual services and possessing class A cocaine on 18 October last year. A further c...