Abuser appeals 18-year sentence for repeated rape of girl

A man from Clare has appealed an 18-year prison sentence imposed for the sexual abuse of a child over a three-year period. The 26-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sample counts of rape and sexual assault of a girl between 2009 and 2012. The sentence, which included a five-year suspension, was handed down in July 2015. During the appeal hearing at the…