Dublin man gets six years for assaulting sister and niece
A man who sexually assaulted his younger sister and niece for nearly a decade has been jailed for six years by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The 52-year-old man pleaded guilty to ten sample counts of sexual assaults on his younger sister and his niece at addresses in Clondalkin and Santry on dates between February 1991 and March 2000.
His sister was 20 years younger than him and was aged between eight and 15 years, while his niece was aged between four and 14 years.
Judge Delahunt said it "was a terrible tragedy of this case" that when the man's sister sought help very little was forthcoming. She acknowledged that her father protected her from her brother after she made the allegations but he died three months later and the abuse started again on the day of her father's funeral.
She ordered that he serve four years post release supervision and placed him on the sex offenders register.
Judge Delahunt told him that victim impact reports before the court in relation to both women "outlined the terrible affects your criminal activity had on them" and noted the courageous attempts his sister in particular had made to turn her life around.
"Your abuse of these women passed through a full generation and represented a severe breach of trust," she told the accused and said that in sentencing she took into account that he has suffered ill-health, that his marriage has broken down and he has lost his business and his home.
Garda Noleen McKenna told Ms Melanie Greally BL, prosecuting, that it was after he married, when his sister was eight years old, that he began habitually touching and molesting her.
Gda McKenna said when the victim's body had begun to develop at aged 10, the abuse became more frequent, taking the form of chasing her around, pinning her down on a bed and feeling her breasts.
She eventually mentioned the abuse to a person in school and her father put a stop to it. However, three months later her father died after suffering a heart attack and the abuse resumed until she left home, aged 15.
Gda McKenna said the accused who had no previous convictions, did not specifically remember the incidents when interviewed but said that if that was her allegation "it must be true as she would not tell lies".
Gda McKenna agreed with Mr Erwan Mill-Arden SC, defending, that during the interview with gardaí he had also made a statement outlining the abuse of his niece. She also agreed that the man's marriage had broken up as a result of the offences and he was currently living in a hostel.
Gda Maire Moriarty told Ms Greally that the abuse of his niece had occurred at his family home where the girl regularly stayed over night while attending activities organised by her aunt.
Gda Moriarty said the man didn't accept the abuse started when she was four and believed it began when she was about nine. He also disputed other details of the assaults.
Gda Moriarty said the man expressed remorse and said that at the time he did not think it was serious and said the girl had never raised any objection.
Mr Mill-Arden said that his client had instructed him to make "abject and full apologies" to his victims.
Counsel added that his client had done everything he could to assist gardaí, had made an early guilty plea and had wrote a letter of self-accusation to gardaí about the abuse perpetrated on his niece.
He had not come to garda attention since these offences.
