Man jailed for abusing niece

A Dublin man who sexually abused his niece over an eight-year period was sentenced to three years in jail by Judge Elizabeth …

A Dublin man who sexually abused his niece over an eight-year period was sentenced to three years in jail by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. The last 12 months were suspended.

The abuse started when the girl was six and the man 16. The 36-year-old accused pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault between November 1980 and November 1988. He can't be named for legal reasons.

Mr Patrick Gageby SC, defending, pleaded for leniency because the offences ended 13 years ago and the accused had not been in trouble since.