Man jailed for sexual assault of the daughter (4) of a family friend

A man has been jailed for four years for the sexual assault of the four-year-old daughter of a family friend.

The 73-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s anonymity, denied three counts of sexual assault on the child at locations in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow some time between January 1985 and December 1987.

After a five day trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last March a jury convicted him of all counts.

The victim was aged between four and six when the man took his penis out and forced her to touch him in his family home and in her family home.

The now terminally ill man, who was married to a friend of the family, ejaculated on each occasion.

On Tuesday Judge Karen O’Connor imposed concurrent four year sentences for each offence. She had set a headline sentence of six years which she reduced in consideration of his age and ill health.

She noted that as a result of the abuse the woman said she had her childhood innocence and her self -esteem stolen from her.

In a victim impact statement the victim, now an adult, said that the abuse left her feeling disgusted with her body. She said she was aged only eight when she tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists.

At his sentence hearing Mr Lynn said his client was terminally ill with incurable cancer. A medical report stated he was easily fatigued.

“The intensity of the prison experience for someone in extremely poor health would be extremely oppressive,” counsel submitted.