A MONAGHAN man has received a nine-year sentence, with three years suspended, for raping his partner’s daughter.
The man sexually assaulted the then six-year-old girl in the livingroom of her home and raped her on two later occasions the same year. He has a previous conviction for a sexual offence.
He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of sex assault and two counts of raping the child between May and Christmas 2002.
Garda Rose McLoughlan told Conor Devally SC, prosecuting, that the girl had recalled Christmas decorations in the living-room on one occasion as he raped her but she was unsure of when the other two incidents had occurred.
Garda McLoughlan said the man had been arrested in 2008, shortly after the girl had complained of the offences. He admitted his crimes and helped gardaí fill in the details surrounding the offence dates.
Garda McLoughlan told Mr Devally that the accused had said he was able to prevent himself raping the child on the first occasion but couldn’t stop himself raping her twice afterwards.
The man had been deemed at high risk of reoffending on release from serving a sentence for an earlier offence if he abused alcohol.
Garda McLoughlan said the accused had told colleagues he had been drinking heavily at the time and found it hard to recall if he had full sex with the victim.
The garda agreed with Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, that his client was remorseful during interviews and had made full admissions. She agreed the man had seemed upset about the consequences of his actions on the young girl. She further agreed that he had attempted suicide shortly after serving the sentence for his previous sexual offence.
Mr O’Higgins submitted to Mr Justice Paul Carney that his client had been raised in a dysfunctional family where his father had left home, his mother was an alcoholic and her new partner was abusive.
He submitted that the man had been sexualised very early and his mother had introduced him to alcohol when he was about 10.
Mr Justice Carney said he did not consider a dysfunctional background, drug or alcohol problems as a defence but took into account the man’s remorse, his acceptance of the girl’s account and his guilty plea. He said one aggravating factor was the man had a highly relevant previous conviction.