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'No one helped us': court hears from victims in one of 'worst cases' of child cruelty
Summary
An unnamed 35-year-old Dublin man was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a global term of nine years and two months after pleading guilty to six counts of child cruelty committed between 2016 and 2020. The court heard allegations that he subjected his six children to severe neglect and abuse, including repeatedly locking the oldest boy in a chest freezer, bathroom, and closet, as well as holding his head underwater. The children, aged between 10 months and eight years at the time of care in January 2020, were found living in filthy, cold conditions with inadequate food and clothing. The man's then-partner, the children's mother, was separately sentenced to two-and-a-half years in 2025 after pleading guilty to child neglect. During the sentencing hearing, the Director of Public Prosecutions entered a nolle prosequi on three counts of sexual assault and two further counts against the man, meaning those specific allegations were not proceeded with. Judge Elma Sheahan cited the repeated nature of the cruelty, the profound breach of parental trust, and the children's dependency as aggravating factors. The man, who has 20 previous convictions primarily for public order offences, has since undergone drug treatment. The children are now placed in three separate foster homes.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'No one helped us': court hears from victims in one of 'worst cases' of child cruelty. Charges or matters: six counts of child cruelty on dates between 2016 and 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 2018 Other
- 2016 and 2020 Other
- 2018 and 2019 Other
- 2026-03-25 Publication
Why: She said that she does not live with her sisters because of the man's actions and rarely gets to see them. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: six counts of child cruelty on dates between 2016 and 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: A father who subjected his six children to "terrible cruelty", which included repeatedly locking one of them in a chest freezer, has been jailed for over nine years. The man, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of the children, was today handed a global sentence of nine years and two months.
Places mentioned
Topics
Drugs Public Order Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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