Courts / Ireland / Report
Child sex offender fails in bid to overturn conviction for raping partner's son
Summary
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of a 49‑year‑old man who had been convicted of raping his partner's seven‑year‑old son. The appellant argued that the trial was unfair because the child had been given incorrect information that the man had previously been jailed for raping a girl, and that this had influenced the child's initial complaint and interview. The Court found that the alleged erroneous information did not affect the fairness of the trial and that the trial judge had properly exercised her discretion to refuse a directed acquittal. The conviction, obtained at the Central Criminal Court in July 2024, remains in force. The man was sentenced in October 2022 to eight years' imprisonment for rape and three years and six months for sexual assault, to run concurrently, after the judge noted his position of trust and deception of the child. The Court of Appeal upheld the original verdict and sentencing.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Child sex offender fails in bid to overturn conviction for raping partner's son. Charges or matters: one count of rape and one count of sexually assaulting the boy on a date between May 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016 following a Central Criminal Court trial last July; the offence of using communication technology to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child contrary to section 8 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act of 2017 and received a three year fully suspended sentence. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted
When:
- May 1, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 30, 2016 Incident
- October 2022 Other
- 2024-02-15 Publication
Why: A child sex offender has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction for raping his partner's seven-year-old son in the shower, having argued that his trial was unfair because the victim was given incorrect information that his attacker had been jailed for raping a girl. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: one count of rape and one count of sexually assaulting the boy on a date between May 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016 following a Central Criminal Court trial last July; the offence of using communication technology to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child contrary to section 8 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act of 2017 and received a three year fully suspended sentence (Proven)
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; A child sex offender has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction for raping his partner's seven-year-old son in the shower, having argued that his trial was unfair because the victim was given incorrect information that his attacker had been jailed for raping a girl. She imposed an eight-year prison sentence for the count of rape and three years and six months for the sexual assault, to run concurrently.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Fraud Stage Appeal Violent Crime
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request