Man sentenced to four years for defilement of child in Westmeath

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

A 23-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for defiling a child under 17 in Westmeath. He had pleaded guilty to one count relating to an offence on February 16, 2025, when the girl was 16 and he was days short of his 23rd birthday. The sentence was backdated to when he went into custody.

The Central Criminal Court heard that the girl became unconscious after drinking alcohol supplied by the man and his friend. CCTV showed the man carrying her across a road while she was intoxicated. Judge Melanie Greally said the amount of alcohol, the girl’s extreme intoxication and his failure to seek medical attention were aggravating factors. She set a headline sentence of 80 months before accounting for mitigation, including his early guilty plea, cooperation, age, lack of previous convictions and remorse.

The man consented to deportation after his release from prison. The judge told the girl that what happened was not her responsibility.