On the run abuser caught and sent to jail

A man convicted of sexually assaulting a young child has been remanded in custody at the Central Criminal Court following his apprehension. The 24-year-old was found guilty on all fourteen counts of sexual assault at two Dublin locations between June 2008 and October 2011, when the victim was aged between five and eight years old. A jury returned unanimous verdicts after a four-day trial in May 2018. The defendant absconded before the verdict was delivered and remained at large for several months. Mr Justice Michael White imposed a seven-year sentence in December 2018 in the man's absence. Upon his arrest today, the court formally recorded that the sentence will commence from the date of his apprehension. The judge noted the defendant's youth as a mitigating factor, as he was himself a minor during the offences. A victim impact statement detailed the child's ongoing psychological trauma. The defendant was arrested in County Cavan, where he had relocated with his family.