A man has been jailed for the “appalling” and repeated sexual abuse of two sisters over 50 years ago.
The now 70-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of his victims, pleaded guilty to one count of rape on a date between 1972 and 1974 and a further 14 counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1974 at a location in Co Wicklow.
The two victims are the man's younger sisters and were aged between five and 13 during the period in question.
The court heard that the indecent assaults included inappropriate touching.
The man abused the first victim when she was aged between five and nine years old on dates between 1966 and 1969, when he was a teenager.
The abuse stopped for a year while he was away at boarding school, then resumed in 1971 and 1972, when the victim was aged between 10 and 12.
The court heard the abuse took place in a bedroom and the teenager would sometimes lock the door.
The young girl was distressed and upset and left in fear of her brother. In her victim impact statement, the woman said she was now handing this fear to her brother and had taken back control over her life and future.
'Distorted by abuse'
Mr Justice McDermott noted that the fear “lingered” into this victim's adulthood and that her “childhood innocence was stolen by this abuse”.
In relation to the second victim, the man indecently assaulted this sister between 1969 and 1971, when she was aged between eight and ten.
The man also took her to a bedroom and raped her on a date between 1972 and 1974, when she was aged between 11 and 13.
Mr Justice McDermott noted that the man was an adult at the time, aged between 18 and 21.
The judge said this victim's life was “distorted by the abuse”, and that she has suffered with depression and anxiety. He also noted that keeping the abuse from her parents caused her difficulties.
The court heard that the sisters subsequently became aware at a later stage that they had been individually abused by their brother and were shocked by this discovery. They were also excluded by family following the death of a close family member.
A psychiatric report was handed to the court, which stated the man himself was subjected to sexual abuse. The defendant was assessed at low risk of reoffending. However, the report stated the man's recollections of his offending behaviour against his sisters was “vague”.
The man also has a number of serious health issues.
Mr Justice McDermott noted the seriousness of the offending and said the man had breached the trust of his sisters. He said both women had outlined the effects of the abuse and its effects on their lives, including the pain, sadness and sense of betrayal.
The judge said the court must take into account the “considerable” level of harm and damage done to both victims by the offending.
'Pattern of offending'
He said there was a “pattern of offending”, noting the “nature and extent” of the offences against the two victims who were “repeatedly abused” by their brother.
The judge further noted that the man was a teenager when he committed many of these offences and this had been considered into account by the court. He said the man was an adult when he raped one of his sisters and would have had “full knowledge” that he was committing an “appalling” offence against a child.
The judge said the court considered that the man was aware that what he was doing was wrong. He noted that the offending escalated to the rape of one of his sisters, when the man was an adult, for which he has a “high level of moral culpability”.
Mr Justice McDermott said the man carried out the abuse because “he could” and because “he got away with it”. He noted the man had taken also steps to ensure secrecy, including locking a door.
Mr Justice McDermott set a headline sentence of 13 years in respect of the rape count. He noted that the maximum sentence available at that time for indecent assault was two years and set headline sentences of 18 months in relation to each of these offences.
The judge said he took mitigating factors into account including the man's guilty plea, his expressions of remorse, his age and work history.
He also noted that the man has no relevant previous convictions and the passage of time since these offences occurred, during which the man has led a “blameless” life.
Mr Justice McDermott imposed a global nine-year sentence on the man and suspended the final 12 months to encourage his rehabilitation and engagement with relevant services.
He further directed the man to have no contact with the two victims.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
