Man jailed for sexual abuse of younger sisters

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

A 21-year-old man was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin to five years in prison, with two-and-a-half years suspended for two years, for sexually abusing his younger sisters. The sentence was backdated to 17 June for time spent in custody. The proceedings were reported on 23 July 2024.

The man, who cannot be named to protect his victims’ identities, had pleaded guilty to six sample counts of sexual assault at a Central Criminal Court sitting in Waterford. Ms Justice Karen O’ Connor also placed him on the sex offenders register for five years.

Garda Antoinette Foley told the court the offences began in 2010. The older sister said the abuse began when she was eight and stopped when she was 10, and happened when she visited her father’s home every second weekend. The younger sister told her family that her brother had touched her private parts; she was between eight and 11 when the offending against her occurred.

The court heard that the man made admissions and said he would plead guilty rather than put his sisters on the stand. The judge considered his age and immaturity at the time, early admissions and guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and health difficulties. She also cited his control over his younger siblings and threats as aggravating factors.