Father convicted of child rape and sexual offences in Munster

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

The unnamed father was convicted of rape, sexual assault, child exploitation, wilful neglect and giving children medication at the Central Criminal Court on 6 August 2021. He was found guilty of 31 counts, including six counts of rape, six of sexual assault, three of permitting others to engage in sexual activity with a child, three of sexually exploiting two children, 10 of wilful neglect and three of mistreating children by giving them medication.

He had pleaded not guilty to 31 charges, including rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilful neglect. The defence said there was no supporting evidence proving abuse, challenged the credibility of the children’s evidence and argued that any neglect resulted from the parents’ limited capacity and intellectual disability rather than deliberate conduct. The father’s admission that he gave the children melatonin was reported during the trial. Three additional counts were withdrawn by direction of the judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, who remanded him in custody pending sentencing. The matter was due back on 4 October 2021, when a sentence date would be set.

The proceedings were reported on 6 August 2021. The alleged offences took place in Munster between 18 August 2014 and 28 April 2016.