A man who admitted during counselling sessions that he had abused other children has been sentenced to eight years for the rape and sexual assault of his wife’s 13-year-old niece.
The counsellor’s reports also stated that the man claimed the children he had abused “often initiated it and seduced him”.
The Westmeath man (54), who cannot be named to protect the identity of the now 15-year-old victim, had been attending counselling before gardaí were alerted to his crimes. He admitted having “distorted feelings towards children and their sexuality”.
He told gardaí that he had had sex with the girl, touched her and allowed her to perform sex acts on him, but he claimed she had agreed to it after he asked her if he could.
The man has no previous convictions and does not face any similar charges. He continued to abuse the girl while he attended counselling.
David Goldberg SC, defending, said that during the course of his client’s counselling sessions in 2010 and 2012, he outlined “other incidences” when he had abused other children.
The man also said he had been abused himself as a child by his brother and he had believed this sort of behaviour was “the norm”.
He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to charges of rape, oral rape and sexual assault on the girl between March 2006 and June 2010.
Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced him to eight years in prison but suspended the last two years on numerous conditions including that he stay away from the victim upon his release.