Courts / Waterford / Report

Man jailed for abuse of niece as teen

Date
2021-09-16

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Waterford

Summary

A 59‑year‑old man was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for two indecent assaults on his younger niece when he was a teenager. The assaults, committed between 1976 and 1979, involved the niece aged six to eight and took place in her family home, first in a bedroom and later in a bathroom. The Central Criminal Court in Waterford found the defendant guilty of two charges of indecent assault after he denied the allegations. Justice Mary Rose Gearty initially imposed a 20‑month sentence, citing the victim's very young age, the home setting and the lasting impact of the assaults. She reduced the term by ten months, suspended the final four months, and gave credit for the defendant's lack of further serious offences and his otherwise "largely blameless" life since 1979. The victim's impact statement described a lifetime of pain and avoidance, and the court noted the defendant's absence of remorse or a guilty plea.