Man appeals life sentence for raping four daughters

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

The unnamed man’s sentence appeal over rape convictions was heard at the Court of Criminal Appeal on 16 December 2013.

He had pleaded guilty after arraignment to sample counts of rape and child cruelty against four daughters. The offences covered January 1991 to December 2009, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2011 by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

His appeal concerned the rape sentences only. His counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, argued that victim support had wrongly become the decisive factor and that the guilty plea should have been treated as mitigation. Counsel for the State, Mr Paul Burns SC, argued there was no sentencing error, saying the offending was at the top of the scale and that a credible threat to kill a victim was an exceptional matter the court could consider.

Mr Justice Frank Clarke said the court would reserve judgment, with delivery scheduled for 15 January. The proceedings were reported on 16 December 2013.