Man’s child defilement sentence upheld on appeal

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

The Court of Appeal dismissed a man’s appeal against his 10-year sentence for offences against a girl who was 13 when their sexual relationship began. The final two years were suspended, leaving eight years to serve.

He pleaded guilty to one count of defilement of a child under 15 and one count of sexual assault. The proceedings were reported on 1 March 2023.

Delivering judgment, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the sentencing judge had made no error in principle. The 12-year headline sentence was appropriate in light of the girl’s young age, the prolonged offending and the coercive nature of the relationship.

The report said the relationship began in late 2005 and continued for about three years. The man claimed he initially thought the girl was older than 13, but quickly learned her true age. She became pregnant in 2007, aged 15, and later gave birth to their child.

In a statement to gardaí in 2020, the complainant described the man’s jealousy and obsession and said he had physically assaulted her, causing black eyes, bruising and a broken nose.

The sentencing court considered his early guilty plea, cooperation with the investigation, apology and remorse, and an assessment that he posed a moderate-to-low risk of reoffending. He had previous convictions, but none for sexual offences.

On appeal, he argued that the reduction from the headline sentence was insufficient. The court acknowledged that the 16 per cent reduction was somewhat low, but noted that suspending the final two years produced an overall reduction of 33 per cent from the headline sentence.