Courts / Galway / Report
Conviction of grandfather (80) for repeated rape of granddaughter upheld
Summary
An 80‑year‑old grandfather was convicted in the Central Criminal Court of six rapes of his eldest granddaughter and 81 sexual assaults on her and her two younger sisters, aged between five and fourteen. He received a ten‑year sentence with one year suspended, and a five‑year concurrent sentence for the sexual assaults. The judge, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, emphasised that the defendant abused a position of trust and was a mature adult when he committed the offences, describing the conduct as "cold, callous and cruel." The defendant appealed the six rape convictions, arguing that the judge's charge to the jury was erroneous, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, stating the judge's remarks were within her rights. The case remains at the conviction stage, with no further outcome reported.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Conviction of grandfather (80) for repeated rape of granddaughter upheld. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- May 16 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2014 and 2018 Incident
- 2023-07-11 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: An 80-year-old grandfather jailed for the repeated rape of his granddaughter and the sexual assault of her two younger sisters has failed in his bid to overturn his conviction. The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to ten years' imprisonment with one year suspended in June of last year for six rapes he denied occurred in Co Galway between 2014 and 2018.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
Related court reports
- Appearance of tips machine in cafe that pulled in €5k unexplained, tribunal notes
- Judge speaks out about toxic masculinity while jailing young man for rape
- 'You ruined my life,' rape victim tells older brother
- Retired Franciscan brother jailed for 11 years for raping boy
- Lab had to decontaminate first aid room after technician found to have been napping, wearing lead-exposed work gear, tribunal told
- Lithuanian man admits engaging in terrorist plot to attack mosque
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request