Courts / Dublin / Report

Child rapist who travelled to the UK to commit further abuse gets 15 years

Date
2015-06-19

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

A Tipperary man, Michael Smith, aged 53, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a series of sexual offences against a girl who was 11 when the first abuse began. Gardaí interviewed him in 2004 after a search uncovered a video of him raping the victim. Smith was released without charge, travelled to the UK and committed further abuse against a teenage girl he had groomed online. He was jailed in the UK in 2008 for that offence and for possession of nearly 20,000 images of child pornography. After his release from a UK prison in 2014 he was extradited to Ireland and has been in custody since. The victim, Michelle Smith, 29, waived anonymity and gave a victim impact statement. Michael Smith pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Child rapist who travelled to the UK to commit further abuse gets 15 years. Charges or matters: nine counts of rape, two counts of oral rape, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of assault causing harm of Ms Smith at Dublin city addresses in Rathmines, Tallaght and Cabra on dates between 1994 and 2004. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

March 2004 Incident
October 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
June 2001 Incident
1994 and 2004 Incident
2015-06-19 Publication

Case subjects

Michael Smith

Convicted Person

Charges: nine counts of rape, two counts of oral rape, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of assault causing harm of Ms Smith at Dublin city addresses in Rathmines, Tallaght and Cabra on dates between 1994 and 2004 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Smith was jailed in the UK in 2008 for this and possession of nearly 20,000 images of child pornography. Mr Justice Moran imposed a 15 year sentence but suspended the final three years in light of Smith's early guilty plea when he was brought back to Ireland last year.