Courts / Ireland / Report

Farm labourer defiled employer's daughter 'hundreds of times'

Summary

A 30‑year‑old farm labourer was jailed for eight and a half years after sexually defiling his employer's 14‑year‑old daughter hundreds of times. The judge, Justice Karen O'Connor, described how the man groomed the child into believing they were in a romantic relationship, controlling and degrading her through coercion, forcing her to take intimate photographs and send them, and pressuring her to text him while at school. The victim, who began self‑harm and attempted overdose, admitted to kissing and later having sex with the man, who was aged 28 when first initiated contact. He pleaded guilty to three counts of defilement of a child under 15 and three counts of defilement of a child under 17, covering an eleven‑month period from August 2020 to July 2021.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Farm labourer defiled employer's daughter 'hundreds of times'. Charges or matters: three counts of defilement of a child under the age of 15 and three counts of the distinct offence of defilement of a child under the age of 17. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 2020 Incident
• July 2021 Incident
• November 1, 2021 Incident
• 2022-10-26 Publication

Why: The court heard the child began self-harming and tried to overdose and there was evidence that she wanted to get caught in order to get out of the relationship. Court evidence reported by CNI

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Stage Sentence

Read the original CNI report