Courts / Ireland / Report

Suspended sentence for man who had sex with neighbouring girl (15)

Summary

An unnamed 26-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, received a fully suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court following an appeal process. The appellant had previously been convicted of rape in 2016, a verdict quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2018 due to improper questioning regarding the complainant's contraceptive use. In the subsequent proceedings, he pleaded guilty to defilement of a child at his family address on October 4 and 5, 2014, while pleading not guilty to an alleged rape on the same dates. A jury acquitted him of the rape charge in July of this year. Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced the man to 15 months imprisonment, suspended in full for two years, conditional on his compliance with Probation Service directions. The judge also ordered that the man must not approach the victim or her family by any means. Although the man had served 24 months in custody following the initial trial, the court noted his late guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and family circumstances as mitigating factors. The judge criticized the appellant for abusing the criminal justice process through persistent lying and subjecting the victim to extensive cross-examination. The matter was not adjourned; the sentence was finalized with the specified conditions and prohibitions.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for man who had sex with neighbouring girl (15). Charges or matters: defilement of a child at his family address on October 4 and 5, 2014; an offence of rape on the same date. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted

When:

• October 4 Incident
• 2019-11-04 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

Read the original CNI report