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Conviction for repeated rape of sister upheld

Summary

A 37‑year‑old Dublin man was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of 33 counts of rape and 15 counts of sexual assault against his younger sister between 1999 and 2005, when she was aged ten to sixteen. He was sentenced on 15 March 2016 to 11 years' imprisonment for rape and three and a half years for sexual assault, the sentences running concurrently. The man appealed to the Court of Appeal against both conviction and sentence. On 15 March 2021 Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy dismissed the conviction appeal, finding no grounds to overturn the verdict. The appeal centred on a prosecution question about "experimenting" that the defence argued breached evidence rules, but the judge held the question did not justify a jury discharge. The court noted the sister's testimony of abuse, including the use of a screwdriver, and her lasting psychological harm, but upheld the original conviction and sentence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Conviction for repeated rape of sister upheld. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

• January 1999 Incident
• October 2005 Incident
• 15 March 2016 Incident
• 2021-03-26 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report