Man guilty of assaulting niece

A 31-year-old Cork man has been remanded on bail for sentence by the Central Criminal Court after he pleaded guilty to indecently…

A 31-year-old Cork man has been remanded on bail for sentence by the Central Criminal Court after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting his niece in the 1980s. The married man admitted four charges of indecently assaulting the girl on May 13th, 1983, and on three dates between May 14th, 1983, and May 31st, 1986.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Patrick McCarthy SC (with Mr Sean O Donnabhain) said the State accepted his guilty pleas on these sample charges and would deal with remaining counts on the indictment after sentence had been imposed. The defendant, who is from a Cork city suburb and cannot be named for legal reasons, offered his guilty pleas after a jury had been sworn in for his trial.

He originally faced 20 charges, 10 each of rape and indecent assault on the same victim. Mr Justice Lavan directed the preparation of probation and victim impact reports and remanded the defendant for sentence on July 21st.