Rape Crisis group slam sentence trend

THE Rape Crisis Network Ireland has expressed concern at the large number of elderly people convicted of sex abuse offences who have all or some of their sentences suspended.

The RCNI yesterday called on the Government to examine alternatives to prisons for abusers found guilty of such crimes so that victims would not be deterred from reporting such attacks to gardaí.

It followed the imposition of a 11-year jail sentence on a 79-year-old Cavan man, John (Seán) Costello, by the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday for raping a young female relative between 1988 and 1990.