'He stole the last 10 years of my life', teenager says of uncle who sexually assaulted her when she was seven

Young woman told court the abuse cost her the relationship she once had with her grandmother, who stood by her uncle and helped him flee the country

Accused was jailed for seven and a half years at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Picture: Dan Linehan

A seven-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by her uncle when he was supposedly minding her and afterwards he fled the country but was extradited back to stand trial. On Tuesday, he was jailed for seven and a half years.

The victim said on Tuesday: “I am now a 17-year-old young lady. The abuse I suffered at the hands of [her uncle] happened when I was a seven-year-old little girl, innocent to the world and the horrible thing that would happen to me.”