Courts / Tipperary / Report

Farm labourer who brutally raped girl (6) has sentence more than doubled

Date
2020-02-03
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Tipperary
County
Tipperary

Summary

In 2020 the Court of Appeal re‑sentenced 76‑year‑old Dan Flynn, a former farm labourer from County Tipperary, for the brutal rape of a six‑year‑old girl in 1979. Flynn, who was 36 at the time, had forced the child onto his bed, raped her, forced his penis into her mouth, spat on her face and stepped over her while she lay on the ground. He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court, with the plea entered at the "11th hour" the Friday before his trial. The original sentence was six years' imprisonment, with the final four years suspended, imposed on 13 May 2019. The Court of Appeal found the sentence "unduly lenient" and, following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions, imposed a new five‑year term, with the final four years suspended.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Farm labourer who brutally raped girl (6) has sentence more than doubled. Charges or matters: raping the child at his home on a date in 1979. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

Case subjects

Dan Flynn

Appellant

Charges: raping the child at his home on a date in 1979 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He now suffers from Parkinson's Disease and requires a mobility aid, which Mr Justice Michael White considered when he sentenced him to six years imprisonment with the final four suspended on May 13, 2019. Flynn's sentence was found to be "unduly lenient" by the Court of Appeal, following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Court of Appeal
  • Central Criminal Court
Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Appeal

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