71-year-old man jailed for child sexual abuse

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

An unnamed 71-year-old man was jailed for 13 years within a 15-year sentence, with the final two years suspended, at the Central Criminal Court. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed consecutive sentences and ordered two years of post-release supervision among the strict suspension conditions.

The man pleaded guilty to 37 counts of indecent assault against his daughter between 1979 and 1985. He was convicted after trial of sexually assaulting a babysitter between 1996 and 1998 and of orally, anally and vaginally raping his partner’s daughter between 2003 and 2007.

He accepted the jury’s verdicts in the latter cases. He admitted abusing his daughter but denied the stepdaughter’s allegations, saying she was involved in a conspiracy against him; his defence also relied on his age, health and lack of relevant previous convictions. The proceedings were reported on 20 December 2022.