Uncle spared jail for sexual assault

An IT worker and father of three has received a non-custodial sentence for sexually assaulting his niece 24 years ago.

Damien Farrell, aged 40, of Lymewood Mews, Santry, Dublin, who has relocated to Sligo, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault at a location in Dublin between April 1, 1992, and September 1, 1992, when his niece was eight years old.

His victim Amy Forde, 32, waived her right to anonymity and delivered a victim impact statement at Farrell’s sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court. In it, she described how her family was torn apart as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother’s then 16-year-old brother.