Dublin man jailed for child cruelty and reckless endangerment

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

An unnamed 30-year-old Dublin man was sentenced to five years in the Central Criminal Court on 20 October 2023 for reckless endangerment and child cruelty. Mr Justice David Keane imposed the sentence.

The sentence was backdated to his entry into custody in September 2021. He pleaded guilty to one count of reckless endangerment of his partner’s toddler and four counts of child cruelty towards her and her brother. The reckless-endangerment plea was entered on the basis that he left the girl in her mother’s care at the relevant time.

The Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the remaining charges, including rape and sexual assault. The man cannot be named to protect the children’s identities.

The judge noted the girl’s vulnerability and the serious psychological harm caused by her injury. He also said the boy remained anxious and was struggling to understand what had happened to his sister.