Mr. Z’s life sentences for rape upheld on appeal

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

Mr. Z’s appeal against life sentences for rape was dismissed by the Court of Criminal Appeal on 18 March 2014.

He pleaded guilty on 30 November 2011 to 14 sample counts of rape and child cruelty against four daughters, after pleading not guilty to 271 counts the previous day. Carney J. sentenced him at the Central Criminal Court on 9 December 2011 to life imprisonment on each rape count, with two and seven years respectively for the cruelty counts; the remaining counts were taken into consideration.

The appeal court accepted that the late plea spared the victims from giving evidence, but held that any mitigation arising from his dysfunctional background and alcohol abuse could not outweigh the exceptional nature of the offences.