Man gets three and a half years for indecently assaulting niece

A west Dublin man has been jailed for three and a half years for indecently assaulting his niece over 30 years ago.

The now adult victim described the "massive impact" the abuse had on her life and told Mr Justice Paul Carney in the Central Criminal Court that she wished to have her uncle named in media reports.

She revealed that William Cummins (aged 45) told her he first "messed" with her when he became aroused while changing her nappy one day.

Cummins, of Ballyfermot Avenue, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to 16 sample charges of indecently assaulting his niece on dates from 1978 to 1982 when she was aged between three and seven years.

He apologised in court, saying he hoped she would one day forgive him for the abuse he inflicted on her and confirmed his wife and three children knew about the offences.

Garda Deirdre Barry told prosecution counsel, Mr Thomas Creed SC, that Cummins would take his niece behind the living room couch in the house he shared with her family, lie on top of her fully clothed and rub up against her.

Garda Barry said Cummins would sometimes seat his victim on his lap facing him and move her backwards and forwards. The complainant remembered him making her choose between sitting on his knee or lying down behind the couch.

The abuse later moved to a bedroom where Cummins would pull down the child's underwear so she could feel his erection beneath his clothes, and finally progressed to simulating sex while they were both naked on the bed.

Garda Barry told Mr Creed that the victim described how she once felt wet on her stomach after such an incident and from then on Cummins wore a condom when abusing her.

The complainant outlined in her victim impact statement how the abuse left her ashamed and "embarrassed of her body", feeling ugly and "with no self-worth".

She described having a "dark shadow" over her and longing, even as a woman in her 30s, to be free from the trauma of child sexual abuse.

She accused her uncle of stealing her innocence and her right to a safe childhood.

"I have looked into his hollow eyes and begged for mercy," she said, adding: "He is a sex offender and his preference is with little children."

Cummins agreed with his counsel, Mr Barry Hickson SC, that he was "deeply ashamed" of what he did and wanted to apologise to his niece in open court.

Mr Hickson submitted that a psychiatrist's report found Cummins, who was abused as a young man and has no previous convictions, to be at a low risk of re-offending.

Mr Justice Carney gave Cummins full credit for his "full and detailed admissions" and directed he be registered as a sex offender.