A 66 YEAR OLD man who impregnated a teenage girl who has a borderline mental handicap was imprisoned yesterday for four years at Kilkenny Circuit Court.
The 14 year old girl had an abortion, and the man admitted unlawful sexual intercourse after DNA tests showed he was the father.
Before that the accused man, a second cousin of the victim's father, flatly denied the girl's claim. The court heard that the two families were very close and attended Mass together every Saturday evening.
Judge Sean O'Leary said any jail sentence he could pass was insignificant compared to the wrong inflicted on the victim. "The action taken by the parents (the abortion) after the discovery can itself be the subject of problems in later years. There were probably no good options for them," the judge added.
The Kilkenny man pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful carnal knowledge at his home on dates between September 1st and December 31st, 1995.