A Sligo woman who was sexually abused by her brother in the 1980s has begged the Central Criminal Court not to impose a heavy sentence on him. The 22year-old woman said: "I don't think he deserves to get a long sentence. He has changed. I can't forgive him but I can try."
Mr Justice Geoghegan was also told by Mr Michael Durack SC that the man's wife committed suicide in 1995, and this had led to the witness and three other victims reporting the defendant's abuse to gardai. Mr Justice Geoghegan adjourned sentence to November 28th.
The 40-year-old man's mother, his girlfriend and his sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous also gave evidence. They told defence counsel, Mr Brendan Grehan, the defendant was a changed man and they asked for leniency. His girlfriend said she wished she had married him before he was brought to court.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was to be sentenced on 16 out of 33 charges on two indictments against him. Earlier this year he pleaded guilty to four charges of indecently assaulting his sister between 1983 and 1986. He also admitted indecently assaulting a next-door neighbour's daughter three times and another of his sisters, who is in her 30s, on four occasions during the 1970s and 1980s.
Last April he was convicted e se charges during the trial.
On October 14th he pleaded guilty at Sligo Circuit Court to indecently assaulting his late wife's sister on two occasions between 1976-77 and 1981. Those charges are to be taken into consideration when Mr Justice Geoghegan imposes sentence.