A 73-year-old man who raped and sexually abused a young boy for over five years has been jailed for three years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Albert Casey, Bush Road, Baile Gib, Navan, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to five sample counts of abusing the boy on various dates between 1981 and 1987. The counts comprised of one of buggery and four incidents of sexual abuse.
Judge Desmond Hogan suspended the last two years of the sentence on account of Casey's current age and his frail health as certified in medical reports.
Judge Hogan ordered that the suspension was on condition that Casey, a grandfather to several children, does not have any unsupervised contact with children and that he engage with the Probation and Welfare Services on his release. The suspension is to last for three years.
Judge Hogan said that he would not accede to pleas made on behalf of Casey to impose a non-custodial sentence by his counsel, Mr Charles Corcoron BL, who argued for such clemency because of his client's old age and weak health.
"He befriended a young boy and duped him into a sexual relationship," Judge Hogan said.
Casey's now 33-year-old victim was 11 years of age when the abuse began.