Courts / Wexford / Report

'Betrayal beyond words': victim of childhood abuse discovered husband was raping their daughter

Summary

At the Central Criminal Court, an unnamed 45-year-old man was sentenced for the rape and sexual assault of his young daughter. The defendant pleaded guilty to four charges of rape and eight charges of sexual assault, which the State accepted as sample charges representative of a pattern of abuse occurring in their County Wexford home between January 2022 and June 2024. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a headline sentence of 17 years for each rape count and 10 years for each sexual assault count. In mitigation, the judge noted the defendant's early accountability, lack of previous convictions, and good work history. He was sentenced to 13 years for the rapes and seven years and six months for the sexual assaults, all to run concurrently. The final 12 months of the sentence were suspended for three years, placing the defendant under Probation Service supervision to follow all necessary directions and treatments. The judge ordered no direct or indirect contact with the victim, including via social media, unless written permission is granted by the victim's mother until the victim turns 18, or by the victim herself thereafter. The defendant is also prohibited from unsupervised access to anyone under 18 and placed under post-release supervision for eight years. The court heard victim impact statements from the daughter and her mother, who described the abuse as a profound betrayal.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Betrayal beyond words': victim of childhood abuse discovered husband was raping their daughter. Charges or matters: four charges of rape and eight charges of sexual assault of his young daughter in their County Wexford home on dates between January 2022 and June 2024. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• January 2022 Incident
• June 2024 Incident
• January 2024 Other
• March 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
• November 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2026-07-30 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report