Courts / Sligo / Report
Four year prison sentence for raping eight-year-old cousin
Summary
A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for sexually abusing his eight-year-old cousin in County Sligo over a decade ago. The defendant pleaded guilty to five counts of oral rape committed in summer 2012, when he was aged 15. The abuse came to light in 2020 when the injured party disclosed it to her mother. During sentencing, the court heard a victim impact statement describing the lasting psychological harm caused. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a four-year sentence, having considered a nine-year baseline for an adult before reducing it to account for the defendant's age at the time of offending. The judge noted the offending involved grooming and exploitation of trust. The defendant, who has been in custody since voluntarily returning from the United Kingdom in September 2024, intends to relocate abroad upon release.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Four year prison sentence for raping eight-year-old cousin. Charges or matters: five counts of oral rape at an address in Sligo during the summer of 2012, when he was 15. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 2024 Other
- 2025-10-30 Publication
Why: But, she did because "children trust too easily" and she wanted to protect others. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: five counts of oral rape at an address in Sligo during the summer of 2012, when he was 15 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: By Eimear Dodd A man who sexually abused his eight-year-old cousin while he was a teenager over a decade ago has been jailed for four years. He noted the man's intention to leave the state upon his release from custody means he cannot be placed under the supervision of the Probation Service post-release and as such, a part-suspended sentence was not an option that the court could consider.
Places mentioned
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Sentence
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