Meath man jailed for rape and sexual abuse of cousin

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

A 40-year-old Meath man was sentenced to four years and two months for raping and sexually assaulting his younger cousin, with the final 14 months suspended on conditions. He cannot be named to protect the victim’s anonymity. The woman told the court she forgave him; sentencing judge Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said the exchange “took my breath away”.

The man pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault on the second day of his trial in February. The court heard the offending took place in Meath between June 1999 and March 2005, when the complainant was a child and the defendant was a juvenile for most of the period.

The judge set a seven-year headline sentence, then reduced it for the guilty plea and mitigating factors, including remorse, victim empathy and the man’s work history. The court heard that he had 12 previous offences, all involving minor road traffic matters.