Roscommon man set for sentencing

A Roscommon man who raped a baby-sitter over two decades ago is scheduled to be sentenced in three weeks.

The 58-year-old man was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping the now 36-year-old woman on a date in 1982 and on three charges of indecently assaulting her on dates between 1979 and 1984.

Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins who has told him he faces "a lengthy sentence" remanded him in continued custody for his sentence hearing. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

The jury returned its 11-1 majority verdicts on day-five of the trial, having deliberated for over four hours and after spending one night in a hotel.

The man had pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial to one charge of raping the woman and 29 charges of indecent assault. Mr Justice O'Higgins withdrew 26 of the charges from the jury at the trial.

The man gave evidence in his own defence and said the allegations aganst him were untrue and claimed the offences never happened. "I never went near her," he said.

Detective Sergeant John Hynes told prosecuting counsel, Mr Vincent Heneghan BL (with Mr Anthony Sammon SC), that when interviewed on March 15, 2005 after his arrest the man told gardaí he had nothing to be remorseful for when they suggested "you could get it off your chest" by admitting her claims.

"If I done all those things you have written down from her, I would be remorseful," he said.

The now 36-year-old woman told Mr Sammon she was sexually assaulted from the age of seven by the man who she said raped her when she was 11-years-old and staying in his house after baby-sitting.