A west Co Donegal man who subjected his two young female cousins to systematic rape on a weekly basis over a nine-year period was sentenced to five years in prison at Letterkenny District Court yesterday.
Michael O'Donnell (42), of Falmore, Dungloe, pleaded guilty to 19 sample counts of sexual assault and unlawful carnal knowledge of his first cousins from 1978 to 1987.
O'Donnell was 14 when he began abusing the elder of the girls, Fionnuala Bonner, then aged four.
Her sister, Bridgeen Bonner, was 4½ when he began abusing her.
The abuse stopped when he was 23.
The abuse took place in the defendant's bedroom, in the attic of his home and in a hay shed nearby.
The girls were either blindfolded or ordered to close their eyes while the rapes took place.
Passing sentence, Judge Matthew Deery said the offences were "very severe", where "full and penetrative sexual intercourse took place on a repetitive basis over the years".
He said the abuse escalated and the sisters also suffered degradation when O'Donnell made them cover their faces or blindfolded them.
"This is exacerbated by the number of times these incidents took place, and the very heartless manner in which O'Donnell made no communication with the victims, allowing for no human response at the time.
"These events have changed their lives forever, and I can only hope in the fullness of time they will be able to cope with the evil act and degradation imposed on them," said Judge Deery.
O'Donnell threatened the sisters by using photographs he had taken of them when they were naked.
He also terrified them into silence by threatening rapes against other family members.
Later Fionnuala Bonner was used by O'Donnell as a "look-out" while he was raping her younger sister.
The court heard how the girls wrote to a teen magazine, Suzie, looking for help, but never received a reply.
A number of character witnesses testified on O'Donnell's behalf, including a retired Dungloe garda and a doctor from the area.
They cited his involvement in the local Maghery marching band, a soccer team and the building of a community centre as testament to his moral standing and character.
References were also handed to the court from former senator Enda Bonner, the local parish priest and 10 women from the area.
Judge Deery said it was a "most unusual aspect of the case to receive so many character references".