Man who raped girl for a decade jailed for 12 years

A Tipperary man who raped and sexually abused a girl for almost a decade of her childhood has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Gardaí interviewed Michael Smith about the abuse in 2004 after a search uncovered a video he had made of him raping her when she was 11. However, he was released without charge and travelled to the UK, where he committed further abuse against another teenage girl he had groomed over social media.

Smith was jailed in the UK in 2008 for this and possession of nearly 20,000 images of child pornography. He was extradited back to Ireland on his release last year and has been in custody since.

His Irish victim, Michelle Smith, aged 29, waived her right to anonymity at the Central Criminal Court so her abuser could be identified.

Smith, aged 53, previously of Maplewood Way, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty to nine counts of rape, two counts of oral rape, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of assault causing harm to Ms Smith at addresses in Rathmines, Tallaght, and Cabra on dates between 1994 and 2004. He is originally from Clonmel.

The victim wrongly believed that Smith was her father during the decade of abuse, which began when she was eight years old and Smith was in a relationship with her mother. He would make her sleep in his bed and rape her several times a week, while sometimes filming her.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Carroll Moran said the aggravating factors in the case are as bad as he has ever seen and noted that the Probation Service believes Smith continues to represent a high risk to the community.

Mr Justice Moran imposed a 15-year sentence but suspended the final three years in light of Smith’s early guilty plea last year.

The judge noted that Smith had not “absconded” to the UK, as he had not been charged at the time. However, he said Smith did leave knowing that he might have to face arrest here.

Mr Justice Moran praised Ms Smith for the “restrained and dignified” nature of her victim impact report, in which she wrote that Smith raised her to be what he wanted her to be and that she continues to suffer the effects.

“The horror of what that young girl had to bear consistently and over such a long period of time does not bear contemplating,” he added.

The judge ordered that Smith have no contact with the victim or children on his release and that he not stay in the same house as a child.

The Probation Service had requested he be forbidden from using a camera or camera phone on his release and that he also be barred from using the internet. However, Smith’s counsel suggested these conditions would be unconstitutional.

The judge said this was a well-made point and instead ordered Smith to comply generally with the directions of the Probation Service on his release.