Courts / Donegal / Report

11 years for man (59) over rape and abuse of teenage girls

Date
2025-03-10

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Donegal

County
Donegal

Summary

A 59-year-old man from Dunfanaghy, County Donegal has been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment following his conviction for the sexual abuse of two teenage girls over two decades ago. Andrew Robert John McElhinney was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury on seven of nine counts following trial in Monaghan last July. He was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and three sample counts of rape relating to the first complainant, and one count of sexual assault against the second. The offences occurred between May 1998 and September 2000 and took place predominantly in McElhinney's home. At the time, the victims were approximately 14 and 16 years old, while McElhinney was 19 years their senior. Justice Patrick McGrath imposed the sentence having regard to the serious and lasting impact on the victims, the breach of trust involved, the age disparity, and the repeated nature of the abuse. The judge noted McElhinney's lack of cooperation with probation services and his continued assertion of innocence despite the jury verdict.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 11 years for man (59) over rape and abuse of teenage girls. Charges or matters: three counts of sexually assault and three sample counts of raping the first girl along with one count of sexually assaulting the second girl; one count of sexually assaulting her by tweaking her nipple when she was sleeping over in their house to babysit the children. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

May 1998 Incident
September 2000 Incident
2025-03-10 Publication

Case subjects

Andrew Robert John McElhinney

Convicted Person

Charges: three counts of sexually assault and three sample counts of raping the first girl along with one count of sexually assaulting the second girl; one count of sexually assaulting her by tweaking her nipple when she was sleeping over in their house to babysit the children (Proven)

Finding: Found guilty

Outcome: Found guilty; Taking into account his lack of admissions, the disparity in age at the time and the repeated nature of the offending, he set a headline sentence of 12 years, which he reduced to 11 years.