A father of nine who told three daughters he sexually abused over a long period "this is what all daddies do to their little girls" has been jailed for 30 months by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The 69-year-old man pleaded guilty to systematically sexually assaulting his three daughters now aged 40, 35 and 26 respectively, between 1970 and 1985 at their Dublin address.
His eldest victim, now 40 years of age, pleaded to Judge Yvonne Murphy: "Please take into account what he has done to us since we were babies.
"Our father took away our childhood. He abused us physically and mentally. If he walks free, he is going to abuse other children because he has been doing it since I was five."
She said she had "given herself" to her father to prevent her younger sisters being abused. She had not known, however, that he was already doing so.
Garda Conor Harrison told prosecuting counsel Garnet Orange BL that the man admitted to watching pornographic films with his children when some of then were as young as five.
When confronted in 2001 by his then grown-up daughters, who made an official complaint to gardaí, he told investigating officers: "I thought that was all forgotten. It happened years ago. They were only kids."
"I never raped them. I did some things," he said.
The three women recounted incidents to gardaí where they were made to watch pornographic films and magazines. One said she was five when he put on a pornographic video and forced her to watch by holding her head towards the television.
They recalled incidents when he lay in bed with them when their mother was away and touched them. He also called them into the house when they were out playing and abused them.
Judge Murphy said she took into account the man's guilty plea but had to balance it with the devastation he had caused.