Courts / Dublin / Report

Man appeals conviction for sexual abuse of step-daughter in 1970s

Date
2020-09-22

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

An unnamed 71-year-old man has appealed his conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal. He was convicted in March 2019 by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of 72 counts of indecent assault, allegedly committed against his step-daughter between 1973 and 1979. The appellant, who denied the charges, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. Counsel Mr Paul Greene SC argued the appeal on five grounds, including a 42-year delay in prosecution, the trial judge's refusal to remove certain counts, and inadequate jury warnings regarding delay and corroboration. He further claimed the trial was unfair due to late-emerging evidence not in the Book of Evidence and issues concerning the victim's mother's whereabouts. The State, represented by Mr Diarmuid Collins BL, countered that no new witnesses could provide detail on the intimate nature of the abuse and that the appellant was not prejudiced by the delay. The three-judge panel, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards, reserved its decision for a maximum of two weeks before an electronic judgment is released. The matter remains pending and has not been finalised.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man appeals conviction for sexual abuse of step-daughter in 1970s. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

October 31, 1973 Incident
August 24, 1979 Incident
October 1973 Hearing Or Sentence
November 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
May 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
1973 to 1979 Other
2020-09-22 Publication

Why: The man (71), who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of his victim, was convicted in March of last year by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of 72 counts of indecent assault, which occurred on dates between October 31, 1973, and August 24, 1979. CNI source report