'He is a monster' - Limerick man jailed for sexually abusing boy

The court had heard that the defendant maintains that he did not do any of the things complained of by the boy

The man was sentenced to 10 years in prison. File picture

A Limerick boy described his mother’s former partner as a monster for the sexual abuse he carried out on him and now the 44-year-old has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Mr Justice Michael McGrath said: “The offending is serious, culpability is high and the harm is significant. The exploitation of his innocence constituted a significant breach of trust and a significant period of imprisonment is warranted. It is at the higher end of seriousness. 

"The headline sentence is one of 11-and-a-half years. That is the pre-mitigation sentence. The sentence is mitigated to 10 years.” 

The parties cannot be identified. However, the victim’s mother did want the accused to be named in coverage of the case. Mr Justice McGrath said he would hear submissions on this particular issue at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick on April 17. Reporting restrictions remain in place in the meantime.

The injured party said: “I feel like he has ruined my life. I spend a lot of time not knowing what I want – I don’t want to go to school, I can’t eat properly, I can’t sleep properly. He is a monster in my eyes.” 

The boy’s mother said: “My world turned upside down. This was a man I trusted 100%, a man I loved, a man I thought would protect my children. I lost my partner. 

"I will never trust a man the way I trusted him. He took so much away from us as a family. I am afraid to leave my children alone… It has been like a living nightmare.” 

Mark Nicholas, senior counsel, said the defendant was disappointed with the jury verdict but understood the court had a job to do. “He has lost his liberty. He has lost any hope of any relationship with these people, going forward,” Mr Nicholas said.

The five women and seven men of the jury took three hours and 30 minutes to find him guilty of attempted rape and other related charges.

Case background

Geraldine Small, prosecution senior counsel, said it happened in the early hours of March 28, 2020, following the introduction of covid lockdown arrangements the previous day.

Two days later, the then 11-year-old told his mother about the alleged incident. He also told her that on a family holiday in Cork in July 2016 he had been sexually assaulted by the accused when he was aged seven. The accused was in a relationship with the child’s mother and was in a stepfather-type role, Ms Small SC said.

The accused man pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault, one of attempted rape, one count of inducing the child to touch him and finally to cause the child to watch sexual activity in the form of pornography, but was convicted by the jury.

During cross-examination, Mr Nicholas SC said the defendant’s position was that he did not do any of the things complained of by the boy. The complainant was asked to comment on this and he said: “That is lies.”