A north Co Dublin man has been jailed for 10 years for raping a young girl and sexually assaulting both her and her sister in 1989.
Derek Sweeney (44), married with a family, Orlyn Park, Lusk, had been convicted of the crimes by a jury after a seven-day trial in February.
Sweeney was convicted on three counts of raping the younger sister, starting when she was eight years old, and on 12 counts of indecently assaulting her on dates unknown between January and December 1989.
He was also found guilty of a further nine charges of indecently assaulting her sister, one year older than her, on dates unknown between March and November 1989
Mr Justice Barry White, who also certified Sweeney as a registered sex offender, imposed 10- year terms on each of the rape charges and five-year terms on the indecent assault counts, all concurrent.
He suspended the final three years of the rape sentences and the final two years of the other terms because he was dealing with the case 15 years after the crimes happened.
Mr Justice White said the delay was due to protracted legal issues on the question of defence access to Rape Crisis Centre counselling notes. The Supreme Court eventually determined that third-party discovery of these notes was not appropriate, and Sweeney could not be penalised for this delay.
Garda Maria Callaghan said the abuse began with fondling the girls and taking pictures of them in the nude, as well as leading them to watch him and his wife having sex in their back garden and in the Phoenix Park.