A Central Criminal Court judge has described as “rather disturbing” a testimonial handed in on behalf of a man convicted of sexually abusing his younger half-sister. The testimonial in question refers to his “strong moral compass”.
The 27-year-old man was convicted of two counts of oral rape on unknown dates in 2015 and early 2016 in Meath. The convictions followed a Central Criminal Court trial in October 2025.
He was aged between 16 and 17 at the time while the girl was then aged between seven and eight years old. He cannot be named to protect the victim’s right to anonymity.
On Friday, he was handed a six-year sentence with the final two years suspended on strict conditions.
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Imposing sentence, Judge David Keane noted that the court had received testimonials on the man’s behalf from his mother, three aunts and an uncle. He said that while the testimonials were accompanied by an affidavit, which confirms referees are aware of his convictions, none of the letters engage with the fact of the man’s convictions and that he admitted his guilt post-conviction.
The judge said one testimonial is “rather disturbing” as it “speaks without referring to these offences” of the man “having a strong moral compass”.
Keane said all the testimonials, “as one might expect”, speak of what the referees perceive to be the man’s good character and the impact of the conviction on the family.
The judge said he had taken the contents of these testimonials into account “as far as it is appropriate to do so”.
The judge said the age difference between the girl and her older half-brother was aggravating, noting that she was a particularly young and vulnerable child.
He said the man was in a position of trust as the girl’s older half-brother and it was also aggravating that the abuse took place in the girl’s home, which should have been a place of security.
The judge said he would set a headline sentence of 12 years for an adult, which he reduced to seven years to reflect the man’s youth at the time of offending.
The court previously heard the then-teenager orally raped the girl on one occasion in the room where he slept when he was visiting her home.
A second incident of oral rape took place in the back garden of the house.
The girl’s victim-impact statement was read to the court by prosecuting barrister Garrett McCormack.
She said what happened was not just a moment in time and its effects had continued long after the incident. She said it caused harm to her and to her family.
She said “as traumatising as this experience was, nothing could have prepared me for the two weeks of court I had to endure”.
The trauma of the court process “could have been avoided if he told the truth”, she added.
The victim said the abuse took away her sense of control, safety and comfort in her own body and has affected all aspects of her life.
“I was made to suffer by someone else’s actions. Not a stranger but an older brother, someone I looked up to.”
