Courts / Cork / Report
12-year jail term for man who raped and twice impregnated step-daughter is upheld
Summary
In a Cork case, a 70‑year‑old man was convicted of raping his step‑daughter from age 11 to 16, impregnating her twice in the 1970s. He pleaded guilty to 18 counts of rape and sexual abuse between 1974 and 1979. The victim, now 53, testified that the man forced her into sexual acts three or four times a week, often when her mother was away, and that he abused her on Sunday evenings. He was also an alcoholic who spent his mother's money. The Court of Appeal upheld a 12‑year sentence, with the final two years suspended, after the man's appeal against a 14‑year sentence was dismissed. The appeal was rejected on the basis that the judge's assessment of the offence's severity was justified and that the mitigating factors had been adequately considered. The man had already served four years for indecent assault of the victim's siblings. The appeal was dismissed by a three‑judge panel.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 12-year jail term for man who raped and twice impregnated step-daughter is upheld. 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
- 1974 to 1979 Other
- 2018-05-15 Publication
Why: The woman 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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