Courts / Ireland / Report

Child rapist warned victim of 'going 10ft under' if she exposed abuse

Summary

In 2021, a man convicted of eight sexual assault and four rape offences against a child aged six to eleven between 2003 and 2008 lost an appeal. The Central Criminal Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison in 2014. The victim, the daughter of the defendant's partner, had reported the abuse to social services in 2008 and was interviewed by specialists in 2010; the recordings were used as evidence. She claimed the perpetrator warned her that if she disclosed the abuse she would be "going ten feet under." The defence argued that the death of the victim's grandmother, who had testified in a prior trial, damaged the defence, and that the trial judge erred by allowing the interview DVDs and video‑link testimony.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Child rapist warned victim of 'going 10ft under' if she exposed abuse. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

• May 2014 Incident
• June 2003 Incident
• May 2008 Incident
• 2021-05-24 Publication

Why: Delivering judgement today, President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said that "the occasions on which a trial will be halted because of the death of a witness are likely to be few and far between. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report