Young man jailed for five and a half years over rape and sexual offence against two girls

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

A man who was 17 at the time of the offences was sentenced in the Central Criminal Court to a total of six and a half years, with the final year suspended for two years subject to strict conditions. He was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in February 2021 and pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual act with a child under 15 in January 2021, when the second girl was 12. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

The judge said the defendant’s youth reduced his culpability and imposed consecutive sentences because there were two victims. He also noted that the defendant had developed a relationship with the younger girl before the offence, and that he accepted the jury’s verdict in the rape case.