Courts / Donegal / Report
Man jailed for rape and abuse of niece when he was teen
Summary
A 30-year-old man from Donegal has been sentenced to five years imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, for the rape and sexual abuse of his niece when he was a teenager. The man pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two counts of oral rape and five counts of sexual assault of a child between January 2005 and January 2009. He was aged between 12 and 16 when committing the offences. Justice Karen O'Connor found the abuse had a considerable and continuous impact on the victim and noted the defendant's attempts to normalise the conduct by describing it as a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. In mitigation, the judge considered that he was a minor at the time, had fully accepted the victim's account, and demonstrated remorse. The suspended portion is conditional on supervision by the Probation Service for two years post-release and participation in sex offender programmes. The victim, now in her twenties and living abroad, did not attend sentencing.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man jailed for rape and abuse of niece when he was teen. Charges or matters: two counts of oral rape and five counts of sexual assault of a child on dates between January 2005 and January 2009. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 2005 Incident
- January 2009 Incident
- April 10, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2022-10-14 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two counts of oral rape and five counts of sexual assault of a child on dates between January 2005 and January 2009 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: A Donegal man who was a teenager when he raped and sexually abused his young niece has been jailed for three and a half years. She handed down a sentence of five years and suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions including that he remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for two years post-release and take part in sex offender programmes.
Places mentioned
- The Central Criminal Court
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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