Courts / Ireland / Report
'A place of pain': combined sentences of 33 years for woman and partner over repeated rape of girl (5) and boy (3)
Summary
In March 2023 the Central Criminal Court sentenced a 40‑year‑old woman and her 52‑year‑old partner to a combined 33 years for repeated rape and sexual abuse of their five‑year‑old daughter and three‑year‑old son. The couple denied the charges, which included rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, reckless endangerment and false imprisonment, and were tried in 2022. Mr Justice David Keane imposed 19 years on the man and 14 years on the woman, with all sentences running concurrently. The judge noted the children's profound trauma and the breach of trust by a mother who allowed the abuse. Both defendants were added to the sexual offenders register and will be supervised by the Probation Service for two years after release. No portion of the sentences was suspended. The court expressed hope that the children would find strength in the verdict. The unnamed 40-year-old was convicted.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'A place of pain': combined sentences of 33 years for woman and partner over repeated rape of girl (5) and boy (3). Charges or matters: one charge of oral rape, one charge of anal rape and one charge of sexually assaulting the young boy; four counts of sexually assaulting her, four counts of sexual exploitation, four counts of oral rape on the basis of joint enterprise, one count of false imprisonment and one count of reckless endangerment; one count of reckless endangerment. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- October 2012 Incident
- September 2014 Incident
- October 2013 Other
- September 2015 Incident
- November 2022 Incident
- 2023-03-13 Publication
Why: Their mother was arrested in September 2015 and claimed that her daughter had made up the allegations because she had put her into care. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one charge of oral rape, one charge of anal rape and one charge of sexually assaulting the young boy; four counts of sexually assaulting her, four counts of sexual exploitation, four counts of oral rape on the basis of joint enterprise, one count of false imprisonment and one count of reckless endangerment; one count of reckless endangerment (Proven)
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; A woman and her partner who turned their home into a "place of pain" by subjecting her five-year-old daughter and toddler son to "the most unimaginable abuse", with repeated instances of rape and an attack that included "gluing" the girl to a chair, have been jailed for a combined total of 33 years. He handed the man a sentence of 19 years and imposed a 14-year-prison sentence on the woman.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
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