Courts / Ireland / Report
10 years for man who groomed and raped stepdaughter from age nine
Summary
A 50‑year‑old man was sentenced to ten years in prison for raping his step‑daughter, who was 11 at the time of the assaults. He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, production of child pornography and sending sexually explicit material to a child, all committed in November 2023. The court found evidence of a prolonged grooming campaign that began when the man sent inappropriate text messages to the nine‑year‑old step‑daughter and continued for almost two years, including explicit images and videos of the child. The judge noted the man's lack of insight and the risk of re‑offending, and imposed a suspended year of the sentence on strict conditions, including probation and no further contact with the child. The sentencing was delivered by Mr Justice Paul Burns at the Central Criminal Court. The case was brought by the prosecution team led by Patricia McLaughlin SC.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 10 years for man who groomed and raped stepdaughter from age nine. Charges or matters: two charges of rape, production of child pornography and sending sexually explicit material to a child on dates in November 2023. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- February 2022 Other
- November 28, 2023 Incident
- 2024-08-01 Publication
Why: She said she had to pretend that she was "cool with the idea" because she didn't want to hurt his feelings. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two charges of rape, production of child pornography and sending sexually explicit material to a child on dates in November 2023 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: A man who began sending inappropriate text messages to his nine-year-old step-daughter before going on to rape her two years later has been jailed for ten years. He sentenced the man to 11 years in prison for the rape with concurrent terms of eight years for the production of child pornography and two years and nine months for sending the images to the child.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request