Judge asks victim of sexual assault to consider meeting her abuser

A judge has asked a victim of sexual assault to consider meeting her abuser under the Restorative Justice Programme before he passes sentence.

The man was convicted in April of assaulting his brother’s step-daughter after coming into her bed at night. He was acquitted of sexual assaulting the seven-year-old on two other occasions.

Defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC told Judge Patrick McCartan that her client rejects the guilty verdict.

The judge indicated that he would consider using the Restorative Justice Programme. He said he believes entry to the programme requires that a guilty party admits guilt.

The Probation Service-run programme involves meeting in a supervised setting to discuss the effects a crime had on the victim. It usually accompanies a non-custodial sentence.

Judge McCartan adjourned sentencing until July to allow the victim and her abuser to decide on this. The judge said he agreed with the defence that the offence was at the lower end of the scale and was suggesting the programme because “this is a close family that is badly fractured by what has occurred”.

Nightmares

He told the now 20-year-old victim that her views would be listened to and that “she will have a very real input”.

The victim asked that the man be publicly named but this was also put back to next month for a final decision.

The man (45) pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three instances of sexual assault on the child in Dublin between October 2000 and February 2001. The jury convicted him on one count. In a victim impact report the woman said she had nightmares about the abuse.