Man jailed for sexually abusing four and eight-year-old nieces

Olivia Kelleher

A 34-year-old man who sexually abused his four-year-old niece and subjected her older sister to "numerous” incidents of abuse from when she was eight until 11 years old has been jailed for seven years.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Cork on Monday for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexually assaulting the older child and to one count in relation to her younger sister. The man was aged from 21 to 26 when he abused the young girls in their family home.

Det Garda Tom Delaney told an earlier hearing that the abuse of the older girl was reported in 2022 after she had become upset in school when she listened to the lyrics of a song in class.

She confided in a member of staff who informed the mother of the children. Gardaí were subsequently contacted and it emerged that the younger sister of the girl had also been abused by the same uncle.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford heard that the defendant preyed on his then four-year-old niece when he was babysitting her. He abused her when she went upstairs to get a “pull-up” nappy.

In her victim impact statement, the young woman said that she still suffers from flashbacks arising out of what occurred to her at such a young age.

“My heart hurts because of what happened to me. I could not stop wetting myself when I started school. My mum had to bring in a change of clothes for me to have in school. I had to change my clothes all the time. I was about 13 years old when I stopped wetting the bed.

"I didn’t understand emotions and I ended up cutting my right arm because I didn’t know how to communicate or even understand what or why this happened.”

The teenager struggles to make eye contact with people and is afraid to go anywhere on her own. She also finds it hard to manage quietness.

“I have to listen to music to blot out the quietness. I am afraid of the quietness because that reminds me of my uncle and that time in my bedroom and what happened to me.”

Her sister, who was abused from the age of 8 to 11, also previously read her own victim impact statement.

She said that the abuse inflicted on her by her uncle made her feel “gross and disgusting.”

“I could not hug anyone in my family. I felt so unhappy in myself. I started to eat and then I gained weight and I would eat more to manage the stress of the abuse that was perpetrated on me. Emotionally, I withdrew from everyone in my family and I tried to isolate myself from my friends.

"Psychologically, I am living in fear all the time. I am scared to be around people. Fear and memories of the abuse is holding me back from living my life. I am afraid of people that are nice to me because trust for me has been broken.”

The teenager recalled that she used to “curl up in a ball” when her uncle touched her. She often “bursts into tears” when she has flashbacks of what she endured at the hands of her uncle.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford on Monday paid tribute to the two victims in the case whom she said were “very brave” and “a credit to their parents.”

Ms Justice Lankford noted that the man had written a letter of apology to his nieces for the immense hurt he inflicted on them.

The man was asked to leave his home when his actions became known. He spent a period in a psychiatric hospital and has also relied on the homeless services.

In his letter of apology, the defendant said that he felt relieved when the abuse came to light. He admitted that he had often considered going to a garda station and confessing his actions. He added that he regretted being too much of a coward to report himself to gardaí.

Ms Justice Lankford said that there was an “acceptance of wrongdoing” in the case.

She noted that the accused in the case was a “vulnerable man” with intellectual disabilities of a mild nature. She also acknowledged that he remained at risk of self-harm and suicide. The two victims in the case were also described by the judge as “vulnerable” individuals.

Ms Justice Lankford jailed the man for seven years. He will also receive post-release supervision from the probation and welfare service for a period of three years. He also has to attend psychotherapy.

Ms Justice Lankford noted the significance of the guilty plea in the case. The name of the man has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.