Courts / Dublin / Report
Father who regarded daughter as 'partner' appeals 15-year sentence
Summary
In 2018, a 54‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to 21 charges, including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault, against his daughter aged 5 to 17 over a 12‑year period. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with the final three years suspended. He appealed the severity of the sentence, arguing the judge erred by imposing a life sentence as the headline term and that mitigating factors such as his early guilty plea and cooperation with Gardaí warranted a headline sentence of 10 to 15 years. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, found the appeal ground surprising given the seriousness of the offences and reserved its ruling for a later date. The DPP maintained that the life sentence was appropriate due to the aggravating factors.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Father who regarded daughter as 'partner' appeals 15-year sentence. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- October 2018 Incident
- January 2006 Incident
- December 2017 Incident
- June 2016 Incident
- 2021-04-19 Publication
Why: The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the victim's identity, also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to his daughter on dates between June 2016 and December 2017. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Outcome: A father sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting his daughter on a repeated basis over a 12-year period has appealed against the severity of his jail term for the offences. The 54-year-old was sentenced to 18 years in prison with the final three years suspended.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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