Tony Byrne jailed for sexual assault of step-daughter

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

Tony Byrne was sentenced on 14 June 2023 to 14 months in prison, with the final two months suspended, for sexually assaulting his step-daughter Donna McCarthy.

A jury found Byrne guilty in May 2023 of one count of sexually assaulting McCarthy, then Byrne, at the family home in Firhouse on 10 May 1992, when she was 16. McCarthy had waived her right to anonymity to allow Byrne to be named.

Byrne denied the charge during the trial and did not enter a guilty plea. Judge Elma Sheahan said he later accepted the jury’s verdict and apologised to McCarthy.

Judge Sheahan described the offence as an egregious breach of trust because McCarthy believed Byrne was her biological father. The judge also identified the age disparity as an aggravating factor.

The judge reduced an 18-month headline sentence to 14 months, taking account of Byrne’s remorse, family support, work history and previous good character. She suspended the final two months to acknowledge the remorse expressed and backdated the sentence to the date he entered custody.