The Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a man against the severity of a seven-year sentence imposed on him for sexually assaulting two girls aged 12 and six. The man had videotaped an assault on one of the girls.
Michael Holbrook (53), a father of one, who is detained at Arbour Hill prison, was jailed in October last year after pleading guilty to a number of counts of sexual assaults on the girls between April and October 2004. He was jailed for 12 years, with the final five suspended.
Pádraig Dwyer SC, for Holbrook, argued that the trial judge had erred by giving too much weight to a report from the probation services that described his client as being of high risk and highly dangerous as far as children are concerned.
Counsel for the DPP Conor Fahy said all relevant factors had been taken into consideration when the judge was formulating his sentence, including that Holbrook was described as being a risk to children.
The three-judge court, with Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan presiding and Mr Justice Kevin Feeney and Ms Justice Mary Irvine, said it would dismiss the appeal.
It ordered that Holbrook's address and the location where the offences took place should not be published in order to protect the identities of his young victims.
Mr Justice Finnegan said the court was satisfied the sentence imposed was correct and "proportional to the seriousness of the crimes committed".
It was difficult to imagine there could be sexual assault "of a more serious nature", he said.