Courts / Dublin / Report
'Justice has no expiry date': man gets four years for raping cousin over 35 years ago
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Karl Fish (53) was convicted on two counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault, all committed between November 1988 and November 1990 when he was 16 or 17 and the victim was 14 or 15. The victim, a woman who was raped as a teenager by her cousin, testified that Fish had twisted the truth and tried to conceal his actions. Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced Fish to ten years for the rape offences, reduced to five years because of his age at the time, and further to four years to account for the delay in prosecution. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences and the impact on the victim, who expressed gratitude for the court's decision and her support network. No further legal outcomes are mentioned in the article. Karl Fish pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Justice has no expiry date': man gets four years for raping cousin over 35 years ago. Charges or matters: a number of sexual offences. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- November 1988 Incident
- November 1990 Incident
- May 2022 Incident
- 2025-12-17 Publication
Why: Today Justice Karen O'Connor set a headline sentence of 10 years for the rape offences but reduced these to five years because of Fish's age at the time of the offending. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: a number of sexual offences (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Today Justice Karen O'Connor set a headline sentence of 10 years for the rape offences but reduced these to five years because of Fish's age at the time of the offending.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Tara Hill Road
- Rathfarnham
- Dublin
Topics
Related court reports
- Serial offender with 'appalling' 137 previous convictions gets fully suspended sentece
- Court grants Irish Times access to ex-TD's character reference for convicted sex offender
- 'A man's liberty is at stake here': Judge dismisses claim boxing instructor breached terms of suspended sentence
- 'Exceptional' Mary Cash avoids jail over bid to obtain fake passport for on-the-run ex
- Judge refuses to name former TD who provided character reference for sex offender
- Octogenarian huntsman shot man meditating in back garden
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request