Dublin man jailed for sexual assault of younger cousin

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

An unnamed Dublin man was jailed for five and a half years for sexually assaulting his younger cousin at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 18 April 2024.

The assaults took place between 2008 and 2011, when he was aged 13 to 17 and his cousin was six to 10. The offences occurred during family visits and at the victim’s grandmother’s home.

Judge Sarah Berkeley identified the victim’s age and the duration of the offending as aggravating factors. She also considered that the man was a teenager at the time, had no previous convictions and had not come to recent Garda attention.

The judge ordered a two-and-a-half-year period on the sex offenders’ register. She extended legal aid for an appeal to be lodged and suggested the Court of Appeal might consider the lack of guidance on register periods.