Courts / Dublin / Report
Criminal who was accused of raping toddler is jailed for child cruelty
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 20 October 2023, a 30‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to five years for reckless endangerment and child cruelty after being accused of raping his partner's toddler. He pleaded guilty to one count of reckless endangerment of the 23‑month‑old girl between 29 March and 5 April 2018, and to two counts of child cruelty towards her and two counts towards her brother on 5 April 2018. The boy was aged two to three at the time. The court accepted the guilty pleas and dismissed the rape and sexual assault charges. The judge noted the children's vulnerability, the serious injuries sustained, and the man's history of offending and substance abuse. The sentence was back‑dated to the man's September 2021 custody entry. The children, now seven and eight, were placed in foster care and are receiving support for their recovery.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Criminal who was accused of raping toddler is jailed for child cruelty. Charges or matters: the less serious offences of reckless endangerment and child cruelty, which were accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), thereby bringing the trial to an end; one count of reckless endangerment of the girl on dates between March 29, 2018 and April 5, 2018; two counts of child cruelty towards her and two counts of child cruelty towards her brother on April 5, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 29, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 5, 2018 Incident
- November 2017 Incident
- September 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-10-20 Publication
Why: " She said the boy was struggling to make sense of what happened and would say of his younger sister: "I tried to help her, but I couldn't, because I was hurt too". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: the less serious offences of reckless endangerment and child cruelty, which were accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), thereby bringing the trial to an end; one count of reckless endangerment of the girl on dates between March 29, 2018 and April 5, 2018; two counts of child cruelty towards her and two counts of child cruelty towards her brother on April 5, 2018 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She was jailed for five years by Judge Patricia Ryan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last year.
Places mentioned
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