Father jailed for seven years for sexually abusing young daughter

Fiona Ferguson

A man who sexually abused his daughter in her childhood has been jailed for seven years.

The 70-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court by a jury of eight counts of sexual assault of the girl at the family home on dates between 1994 and 1996.

The child was aged between six and eight years old at the time, while the accused man was aged between 36 and 38 years old.

Justice Melanie Greally commended the injured party for her courage in coming forward.

The court heard the abuse happened in the child’s bedroom while her mother was working nights.

Passing sentence on Friday, Justice Greally noted the abuse was a repeating pattern of behaviour which occurred when he came to lie down in the child’s bed.

Justice Greally noted the woman, her siblings and mother were afraid of the accused man, with the family describing how they walked on eggshells around him.

The judge said the woman left home in her late teens and distanced herself from her father. The abuse came to light after unexpectedly encountering him in 2023 which caused her deep distress.

She disclosed the abuse to a person she knew and later reported it to gardaí.

Justice Greally said the accused man denied all wrongdoing when interviewed by gardaí and attributed the allegations to the woman mental health difficulties.

He denied any domestic violence or fear in the family home. He continues to maintain his innocence. He has previous convictions, including burglary, theft, and road traffic offences.

The judge said it was acknowledged in evidence by the gardaí that the accused co-operated with gardaí and complied with a number of requirements made of him. She noted his “self-reported” employment history and his skills as a tradesman.

She said that since the allegations came to light, he has been shunned by his family and is living an isolated existence.

She noted the injured party had described how the abuse had changed her life in the worst possible way.

She said the young woman had outlined a constant fear of what her father might do next and that she suffered panic attacks. Her relationships were affected, and she felt “entirely alone.”

Justice Greally noted the maximum sentence for this offence was five years' imprisonment.

Identifying the aggravating factors, she noted the egregious breach of trust, the girl’s young age, the age difference between the parties and the fact of the abuse taking place in her home and bedroom.

She also said the violence and fear in the family home was aggravating.

The judge set a headline sentence of four years in relation to each offence.

In mitigation, she noted the man’s co-operation, timesaving concessions he had made at trial and his health issues. She also noted he was entirely isolated and, for him, prison was likely to be very solitary.

Justice Greally imposed consecutive sentences totalling seven years.

The judge said this was an immensely sad time for the entire family, and she hoped the resolution of the case would give the injured party the ability to move forward with her life.

She said the young woman should be highly commended for her courage.

Earlier, Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, told the court the Director of Public Prosecutions placed the case at the upper end of offending, noting the violation of trust and the victim’s age.

In her victim impact statement, the young woman described the devastating effect the abuse has had and continues to have on her life and health.

She told the court that she was a survivor and had carried guilt and shame for something that she, as an innocent child, had no part in.

Defence counsel, Kevin White, said the accused man had been very disappointed by the outcome but respects the jury decision and the fact that the court must sentence him. He asked the court to take into account that he had not reoffended over the past 30 years.

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. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.