No jail for attempted rape of boy aged six

A Limerick man who repeatedly sexually abused a child 21 years ago has avoided a prison sentence.

The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a three-year suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court.

Counsel for the accused, who was 16 at the time of the abuse, said he is now married and living in the US and that any conviction could prevent him from returning. She had asked the court last week to consider applying the Probation Act.