Uncle, 24, jailed for rape, sex assaults

A 24-year-old man man who raped and sexual assaulted his two nieces and his nephew has been jailed for eight years at the Central Criminal Court.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victims’ anonymity, pleaded guilty to eight counts of rape and six counts of sexual assaults of the children at different places between 2004 and 2010. He no previous convictions. The victims were between four and 10 at the time.

Mr Justice Robert Eagar sentenced the man to eight years for the rape offences and a concurrent five-year term for sex assault offences.

He declared him a sex offender and ordered that he undergo two years post release supervision.

Caroline Biggs, prosecuting, said the first victim was 10 years old when he was abused at his uncle’s family home and it continued later in his own home.

The court heard this victim would have met his uncle five times a month between 2007 and 2010 before he made a statement in 2013.

Ms Biggs told the court one of the uncle’s nieces made a complaint of a “sexual nature to school friends in 2013” and this was brought to the attention of her teacher and head mistress.

“The friends of this girl were told by her that her uncle touched her in places she didn’t like and her parents didn’t know.” Theprincipal informed the HSE and her parents, said counsel.

Ms Biggs said the “first disclosure” was made by this girl in school, which led to a “domino effect of the others”. The court heard this victim said the accused “touched her down there” when she was about five years of age. “He told me not to tell anyone or I would be taken away from mammy and daddy,” she said.

The man was arrested in 2013 and initially denied the allegations. However, when the girl’s statements were read to him, he broke down and admitted everything. He said he did not know “what possessed him to do such a thing”.

The man asked the garda to “tell the kids he is sincerely sorry for what he has put them through”.

Aidan Doyle, defending, said his client

came “from a good family” and had the complete support of his parents. He claimed during interview that he had been the victim of child abuse.