Uncle jailed for six years over abuse of nephew

A highly-educated man who took advantage of his elevated family status to sexually abuse his nephew has been jailed for six years for his “exceptionally obnoxious conduct”.

The 71-year-old Dublin man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to indecently and sexually assaulting his nephew between 1989 and 1991, when the boy was aged between 15 and 17 years old.

The charges were brought against him on a sample basis, the court heard.

He was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of five counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault.

The man is currently serving an eight-year sentence for similar offences against another boy during the same period.

He has 42 previous convictions, including sexual assault, rape and indecent assault.

Sentencing the man to eight years with the final two years suspended yesterday, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said that the sentence would have been considerably higher were it not for the man’s advanced age.

He said the offences were “exacerbated by virtue of the fact that the uncle was in a position of exceptional authority and standing in the family”.

The judge noted an element of grooming was involved, which included the uncle showing the boy pornographic videos. He also tried to persuade his nephew to have anal intercourse with him.

It was “exceptionally obnoxious conduct”, Mr Justice McCarthy said.