Woman's lover jailed for eight years in 2013 for raping child

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

A woman's lover was jailed for eight years in 2013 for raping her five-year-old daughter, according to a report of proceedings concerning the mother. The proceedings were reported on 11 March 2014.

Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court heard that the unnamed, 47-year-old mother had allowed the abuse of her daughter between 2004 and 2008. She pleaded guilty to 12 charges including sexual assault, wilful neglect or ill treatment and using her daughter for sexual exploitation.

The man was a neighbour who used to babysit the child and her siblings up to three times a week. Judge Tony Hunt was told that he had involved the girl in sexual acts and led her around on a dog lead before abusing her.

The report said the offences were revealed when the girl was taken into care at the age of nine. Detective Garda Mary Tarpey read the child's victim impact statement to the court. The girl, aged 14 at the time of the report, said she had never felt protected.

The mother's case was adjourned until May.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.