Courts / Westmeath / Report

Paedophile fails in appeal against daughter sex abuse conviction

Summary

In a May 2025 decision, Justice Tara Burns dismissed Oliver Berry's appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing his daughter Sharon. Berry, 68, had previously been convicted in 2023 of 25 indecent assault counts against Sharon, who was aged 7 to 12 at the time. He had also been serving a seven‑year sentence for the same offences, to run consecutively with a prison term he was already serving for the sexual abuse of his other daughter, Jennifer. Berry's appeal argued that the trial judge erred in ruling Sharon competent to give evidence and in limiting her cross‑examination. The judge found no evidence that Sharon's schizophrenia diagnosis affected her competency and that the trial judge had acted correctly. The appeal was therefore dismissed, with no change to Berry's sentence or any new legal outcome announced.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Paedophile fails in appeal against daughter sex abuse conviction. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

• June 2023 Incident
• July 25, 2023 Incident
• December 1982 Hearing Or Sentence
• December 1994 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 2008 Hearing Or Sentence
• 1980 and 1986 Incident
• 2025-05-27 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report