James Maher jailed for raping two nephews in Dublin

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

James Maher was jailed for nine years, with the final year suspended, for raping two nephews at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 2 October 2017. He pleaded guilty to six counts of sexually abusing them in Dublin between January 1980 and March 1984. The court was told the boys were aged eight and six when the abuse began.

Judge Patricia Ryan took Maher’s age, health problems, guilty plea and lack of previous convictions into account when imposing sentence. The victims waived their anonymity so their uncle could be named, and described lasting harm from the abuse, including drug use and depression.