Sex abuse sentence appeal dismissed

A 39-year-old Cork man jailed for the regular abuse of his younger sister, from when he was aged 14 until 20, has had an appeal against the severity of his sentence dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

The man was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of 23 counts of sexually abusing his sister at homes the family lived in between 1991 and 1997. He initially faced trial on a 43 count indictment but was acquitted of the remaining counts.

Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced him to five years imprisonment, with the final year suspended, on October 29, 2014. He had an appeal against sentence dismissed yesterday, with the Court of Appeal unable to find any error in principle in his sentence. Giving judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards