Courts / Wexford / Report

Child rapist's attacks a 'compulsion' which court could consider a 'mitigating personal characteristic', defence lawyers claim

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 56‑year‑old Wexford man was convicted of five sexual assault and two oral rape offences against a 36‑year‑old victim, with incidents spanning 1991 to 2005. His defence argued that the prolific nature of his attacks indicated an underlying compulsion that could be a mitigating personal characteristic, but Judge David Keane dismissed the claim as unattractive and lacking medical evidence. The judge imposed a 14‑year prison term for the rape offences and sentences of three and seven years for the sexual assaults, all concurrent and back‑dated to the date of custody. He did not suspend any portion of the sentence and ordered the offender to be supervised by the Probation Service for two years after release. The victim gave a victim impact statement describing the abuse and her resilience, while the defendant continued to deny the charges.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Child rapist's attacks a 'compulsion' which court could consider a 'mitigating personal characteristic', defence lawyers claim. Charges or matters: five charges of sexual assault and two charges of oral rape on dates between February 1991 and February 2005 when the victim was aged between five and 18 years old. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• February 1991 Incident
• February 2005 Incident
• June 24 Other
• 1979 and 1980 Incident
• 2007 and 2009 Incident
• 2023-03-30 Publication

Why: "He manipulated her into believing she had to kept the abuse secret in order to keep her family safe, whereas the opposite was the truth," the judge said. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report