Minister for Children meets Mr A's victim

The Minister for Children yesterday met with the victim of the sex offender known as Mr A, it emerged tonight.

Brian Lenihan, who sits at the Cabinet table, told the Seanad last week that he would meet with the family of the 12-year-old girl who was raped after being plied with alcohol by Mr A.

The convicted offender was re-arrested and returned to prison last Friday after lawyers for the state won a Supreme Court appeal against an earlier High Court decision to free him.

A spokesperson for Mr Lenihan said today: “The Minister for Children met the family of the victim of ’Mr A’ yesterday in a private meeting.”

No further details were given of the contact.

The victim’s mother had criticised the Government over the issue and complained that she had first heard about the release in a newspaper.

On May 23, the Supreme Court struck down Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935 because it didn’t give the accused the defence of making an honest mistake about the victim’s age.

New legislation was rushed through the Dáil on Friday to restore the offence of statutory rape to the statute books.

It made engaging in a sexual act with a child under 15 an offence punishable by a prison sentence of up to a life term.

Engaging in a sexual act with a child between 15 and 17 would be punishable by up to five years in jail, or 10 years where the accused was a person in authority.

The Sexual Offences Bill 2006 allows for a defence of mistaking the age of a youngster.