Judge hits out at prosecution delay; Suspends sentence of man who sexually abused child

Sentencing him today Judge Elma Sheahan said that if not for “the unconscionable delay of the state” a custodial sentence would be inevitable. File image

A judge has suspended the prison sentence of a man who admitted in 2002 to sexually abusing a child because of the “unconscionable delay” in prosecuting him.

Kevin Brazil (50) admitted to sexually abusing the then 12-year-old boy when gardaí interviewed him in 2002, but no file was sent forward to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).