Five family members convicted of offences against child relatives
This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.
A father, his wife and their three sons were convicted at the Central Criminal Court of offences against four relatives who were children at the time. On 25 May 2023, the jury returned guilty verdicts on 117 of the 126 counts before it, following a trial before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring.
The 66-year-old father had pleaded not guilty to 25 charges. The jury found him guilty of 24: two counts of anally raping his granddaughter and 22 counts of anally or orally raping his nephew. The trial judge withdrew an assault charge involving the nephew.
The 41-year-old son was found guilty of 19 counts of raping his sister, four of sexually assaulting her and three of orally raping her. He was also found guilty of two counts of anally raping his niece and one of raping her. He was acquitted of two further counts of raping his sister.
The 38-year-old son was found guilty of 20 counts of raping his sister, four of sexually assaulting her and six of orally raping her, as well as two counts each of anally raping his niece and his male cousin. He was acquitted of two counts of raping his sister. The 40-year-old son was found guilty of 20 counts of raping his sister, five of sexually assaulting her and three of orally raping her. He was acquitted of three further rape charges.
The 63-year-old woman had pleaded not guilty to three charges. She was found guilty of assisting one of her sons to conceal the rape of her granddaughter and of assaulting the child. The judge withdrew a charge of assaulting her nephew.
Sentencing remained pending. The judge remanded the father and the 41-year-old son in custody and continued bail for the other three defendants. She directed the two sons on bail to sign on at a garda station four days a week, and directed all three defendants on bail to have no direct or indirect contact with the complainants. The case was adjourned to 17 July 2023 for mention.