41-year-old Dublin man gets suspended sentence for sexual assault

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A 41-year-old Dublin man received a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting his six-year-old niece at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 8 May 2017.

He pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the girl while babysitting her at home between 1 February and 30 September 1992. He was 16 when the offence occurred.

Judge Karen O’Connor imposed a suspended sentence of two years and three months, finding a serious breach of trust. She said a non-custodial sentence was warranted after considering his remorse, guilty plea, age, treatment and rehabilitation.

The report said the family did not initially make a formal complaint, instead seeking treatment for him and counselling for the victim. Defence counsel Gerard Charlton BL said the offence involved curiosity, no removal of clothes and the man’s extreme regret; the report said he had not come to adverse attention since treatment. A formal complaint was made in 2015.