Louth man who made child sex abuse videos of partner’s young niece jailed for seven years and three months
The Drogheda IndependentA 45-year-old man who made child sex abuse videos of his partner’s underage niece has been jailed for a total of seven years and three months.
Judge Dara Hayes said that the defendant preyed on his victim’s trust and innocence during offending which came to light in April 2023 when she was aged 8.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to sample counts of sexual assault, two counts of knowingly producing child pornography and to one charge of possessing child pornography.
Judge Hayes remarked it was not clear when the abuse started but the girl would have been considerably younger.
In a Victim Impact Statement the girl’s mother begged the court “for the longest sentence possible”.
In October, a Detective Garda gave evidence to a sentence hearing at Dundalk Circuit Court that the young girl would have sleepovers at her aunt’s house which she shared with the accused.
The victim said the sexual assaults “happened lots of times”. He told her it was a secret and she feared that she would get him into trouble.
The house was searched in September 2023 and he was arrested the same day.
Initially he responded to questions by saying, “I’m not going to answer that. That’s brutal, no truth in it. I don’t know.”
He then accepted it happened and that the victim was not making anything up.
His phone was seized and on it were seven thumbnail images “consistent with child pornography”. All were videos of the victim.
There were also images of unknown children and related searches.
He was re-arrested and interviewed. He accepted that all the videos were of the girl. They were kept on his phone for him.
A Victim Impact Statement from the parents was read to the court.
It detailed how she had outbursts at school before anyone knew what had happened. Teachers thought she had autism or behavioural problems.
When she told her mother about the abuse it was like a weight had lifted off her.
Her mother acted quickly. There was an instant change in her daughter. The outbursts stopped, but she was emotionally and psychologically damaged.
The girl remained vulnerable and anxious and no longer felt safe. She was left traumatised and confused.
The mother said that the defendant was “unsafe to be allowed near any child” and she was “begging for the longest sentence possible”.
The girl’s father added that he had not spoken to his sister since after she took her partner’s side.
Everything had fallen apart, he added.
At an adjourned hearing, after the man was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison where he was in the protection wing, Judge Hayes said that the accused had been in a relationship with the girl’s aunt for over a decade and was to all intents and purposes her uncle.
A probation report outlined that his parents separated when he was young and that he was abused as a child. He had addiction issues.
There were concerns about transparency and that he had provided different accounts of his life to different professionals. He was limited in his remorse and insight. He was assessed at high risk of reoffending.
The probation officer noted that the defendant described himself as a paedophile with a sexual interest in prepubescent children.
He has a daughter who was born in 2001. His relationship with her mother ended shortly afterwards.
The judge continued that a psychological report on behalf of the defence said that the man was in the average range of reoffending.
The risk factors were somewhat lower than the Probation Service detailed, but the report agreed that further therapy is required.
Judge Hayes said that this was a “gross breach of trust”.
It can’t be clear what the consequences will be for the victim into adolescence and adulthood. It is clear she has loving and caring parents.
Aggravating factors were the repeated nature of offending when he was helping to mind the girl, her very young age, and the age difference between offender and victim.
Other aggravating factors, the judge added, were that he told her to keep it a secret and that he made videos of the abuse.
In mitigation were guilty pleas, the level of remorse “which fluctuates to put it mildly” and counselling being undertaken, though there was a long way to go in that regard.
Sentences totalling eight years and three months were imposed, the last 12 months suspended for 5 years, and backdated to October 10, 2025.
Conditions include that the defendant has no contact with the victim, her parents and siblings, and that he place himself under Probation Service supervision for three years post-release.
He must not reside in the same place as any child under 18 nor have unsupervised contact with any child under 18 without Probation Service approval.
An order was made for the destruction of the mobile phone.