Courts / Laois / Report
10 years for rape and abuse of daughter
Summary
Patrick Shiels, aged 64, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting and orally raping his daughter, Marlene Prakash‑Shiels, who was between four and eight years old during the offences. Shiels pleaded not guilty to all charges, including four counts of sexual assault, oral rape, child cruelty, forced alcohol consumption and forced viewing of pornography. He had no prior convictions. The trial, held in Croke Park, included a victim impact statement in which Ms Prakash‑Shiels described the lasting trauma and lack of remorse from her father. Justice David Keane noted aggravating factors such as abuse of trust, age disparity and the pattern of assault, and imposed a ten‑year sentence with no credit for a guilty plea. He also ordered three years of post‑release supervision by the Probation Service. The court heard that the victim was in foster care during the period of the offences.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 10 years for rape and abuse of daughter. Charges or matters: oral rape and four counts of sexual assault of the complainant on various occasions between September 2000 and December 2004 at his then address in Togher, Portlaoise, Co Laois; two charges of child cruelty by forcing the victim to drink alcohol and to watch pornography; all charges in April 2021 following the first criminal trial to take place in Croke Park. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- September 2000 Incident
- December 2004 Incident
- April 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2000 and 2004 Incident
- 2021-05-24 Publication
Why: In order to facilitate social distancing, up to three trials can be run at one time in function rooms in the GAA stadium. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Charges: oral rape and four counts of sexual assault of the complainant on various occasions between September 2000 and December 2004 at his then address in Togher, Portlaoise, Co Laois; two charges of child cruelty by forcing the victim to drink alcohol and to watch pornography; all charges in April 2021 following the first criminal trial to take place in Croke Park (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Passing sentence today, Justice David Keane commended Ms Prakash-Shiels for the "quiet dignity" she displayed as a witness and described her victim impact statement as a "powerful document". Justice Keane sentenced Shiels to ten years imprisonment.
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