Cork man sentenced for 23 sexual assaults on sister

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A 36-year-old Cork man received a five-year sentence, with the final year suspended, for 23 counts of sexual assault against his younger sister. He cannot be named for legal reasons. The proceedings were reported on 30 October 2014.

He was convicted in July at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork. He had not pleaded guilty.

The offences occurred at homes where the family lived between 1991 and 1997. The abuse began when the man, who has learning difficulties, was 14 and his sister was ten. It continued until he was 20 and she was 16.

Mr Justice Paul Carney made the suspension conditional on the man staying away from his sister permanently, unless she consented. He also ordered 18 months’ post-release supervision and declared the man a sex offender.

In sentencing, the judge considered the seriousness and number of offences, their impact on the victim and her age. The suspension reflected the man’s youth when he committed the offences, his good employment record and his absence of previous convictions.

Michael Bowman SC, defending, said the man wanted to apologise to his sister and had written her an apology. In the letter, the man characterised his decision to fight the case as cowardly.