Man jailed for two years for indecently assaulting niece as a child

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

A Central Criminal Court judge sentenced a man to two years in prison for three indecent assaults on his young niece. The sentence was backdated to when he entered custody. The offences took place between February 1988 and December 1990, when the girl was aged five to six, at her grandmother’s home, where he lived.

Justice Karen O’Connor said the offending involved a serious breach of trust and that imprisonment was necessary. She imposed a three-year headline sentence, reduced it to two years, and said the man would be placed on the sex offenders’ register. He continues to deny the charges and does not accept the jury’s verdicts.

The woman’s victim impact statement described reporting the abuse and going through the trial. Justice O’Connor praised her for speaking about her experience, saying it could help other survivors find their voices and help children understand they are not alone.