Man jailed for life for raping four daughters begins appeal

A man serving a life sentence for raping four of his daughters has launched an appeal against his sentence at the Court of Criminal Appeal. The 52-year-old was convicted in December 2011 at the Central Criminal Court in Castlebar, County Mayo, after pleading guilty to sample counts of rape and child cruelty spanning an 18-year period from 1991 to 2009. His counsel argued that the trial judge erred in principle by allowing victim support considerations to become the primary factor in imposing the life sentence, contending that the guilty plea should have carried greater mitigating weight. The State's counsel maintained there was no error in law, noting the offences were at the top end of the scale and that a threat made by the appellant against one victim justified the sentence. The Court of Criminal Appeal reserved judgement, with a decision expected on 15 January 2014.