Courts / Ireland / Report

Teen admitted to mother that he had abused foster child

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 16‑year‑old pleaded guilty to three sexual offences against a nine‑year‑old foster child, including oral rape and two sexual assaults between June 2022 and August 2023. He admitted to habitual viewing of pornography on his phone and to having forced the child to perform oral sex on him on about ten occasions. The child, who had lived with the family for five years, was removed to her grandmother's care after the abuse was reported. The teenager expressed remorse and said he was sorry and ashamed. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed an 18‑month detention for the oral rape and a concurrent 12‑month detention for the other two offences, deferring the sentence until April 2025 to review the teenager's progress. The court noted the child's ongoing therapy and the impact on her family.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Teen admitted to mother that he had abused foster child. Charges or matters: three charges including oral rape and two charges of sexual assault on dates between June 2022 and August 2023 in their home in the South West of the country. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 2023 Incident
• June 2022 Incident
• April 17 Incident
• 2025-07-01 Publication

Why: She is now struggling with lots of things in school but she is doing the best she can do," the woman continued before she added that the child is "constantly eating because food is giving her comfort". CNI source report

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Read the original CNI report