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Family disrupted after members continue to support man who abused niece as a teenager
Summary
A High Court judge sentenced Ronan O'Grady, 33, to two years' imprisonment for eight counts of sexual assault against his niece, Keely O'Grady, aged six to nine between 2004 and 2008. O'Grady, who was 13 to 17 at the time, pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court. The judge noted the defendant's lack of remorse, his "talented" and "well‑educated" background, and the continued support he received from his family, which the court said had disrupted the victim's family relationships. Keely, now 26, gave a victim impact statement describing long‑term trauma, depression, anxiety and self‑harm, and criticised her grandparents for protecting him. The judge reduced the headline sentence from an initial eight years to two years, citing O'Grady's youth, lack of prior convictions, guilty pleas and low re‑offending risk, and did not suspend any part of the sentence. The sentence was back‑dated to the day he entered custody.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Family disrupted after members continue to support man who abused niece as a teenager. Charges or matters: eight counts of sexually assaulting his niece, Keely O'Grady, at various locations in Co Offaly on dates between June 18, 2004 and June 17, 2008; eight separate and serious offences of sexual assault of the child. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 18, 2004 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 17, 2008 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-06-28 Publication
Why: A High Court judge has noted that an entire family has been disrupted because relatives of a man who sexually abused his young niece when he was a teenager continue to support him and have been "dismissive of the deep trauma" inflicted on the victim. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: eight counts of sexually assaulting his niece, Keely O'Grady, at various locations in Co Offaly on dates between June 18, 2004 and June 17, 2008; eight separate and serious offences of sexual assault of the child (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Mr Justice McDermott said that had he been sentencing O'Grady as an adult, he would have set a headline sentence of eight years. He reduced it to a headline sentence of three years and six months, noting O'Grady was a juvenile at the time of the offending.
Places mentioned
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