UK businessman sentenced for rape and sexual assault

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

A UK businessman was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to 14 years in custody, with the final two years suspended. The proceedings were reported on 29 June 2018.

Mr Justice Michael White suspended the final two years on condition that the man keep the peace for the entirety of the 14-year sentence. He also ordered him to participate in the Better Lives treatment programme for sex offenders to avail of the suspension.

The 37-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, was found guilty of three counts of rape and eight counts of sexually assaulting two girls. The offences took place at addresses in Dublin and Louth between 3 December 2010 and 10 March 2011, when the girls were aged 10 and 12.

Mr Justice White said the man continued to maintain his innocence and dispute the verdicts. The judge said the mitigating factor of a guilty plea was not available to him in sentencing.