Courts / Cork / Report
Pensioner who raped and twice impregnated step-daughter appeals 12-year sentence
Summary
A 70‑year‑old Cork pensioner, who cannot be named, has appealed the 12‑year jail sentence imposed for raping his step‑daughter from age 11 to 16 and impregnating her twice. He pleaded guilty to 18 counts of rape and sexual abuse between 1974 and 1979. The complainant, now 53, said the man entered the family home after her father's death, married her mother, and repeatedly forced sexual intercourse on her, often when her mother was absent. She reported that the defendant was an alcoholic who spent her mother's money and that the abuse caused her to become pregnant at 15, losing one child and putting another up for adoption. The Court of Appeal heard that the original 18‑year headline sentence was reduced to 14 years, with the final two suspended due to the man's age and medical issues. He had already served a four‑year sentence for indecent assault of the woman's siblings.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Pensioner who raped and twice impregnated step-daughter appeals 12-year sentence. Charges or matters: 18 counts of raping and sexually abusing the woman on dates between 1974 to 1979 at their Cork home. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- February 2015 Other
- April 27 Hearing Or Sentence
- 1974 to 1979 Other
- 2018-04-16 Publication
Why: The complainant said she dreaded Sunday evenings when her mother went to bingo because her stepfather sexually abused her for the evening and on other occasions he raped her while her mother was downstairs. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: 18 counts of raping and sexually abusing the woman on dates between 1974 to 1979 at their Cork home (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Sentencing the man to 14 years imprisonment with the final two suspended, Mr Justice Tony Hunt placed the offending on the highest end of the spectrum. Ms Crowe said she was relying heavily on a case known as 'RK', in which a sentence of 18 years with the final five suspended was reduced by the Court of Appeal to 12 with the final two suspended following an appeal.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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