Man jailed for rape of daughters

A former soldier has been jailed for seven years for raping his daughters over 20 years

A former soldier has been jailed for seven years for raping his daughters over 20 years. Timothy Kelleher (63), of The Cloisters, Ballincollig, pleaded guilty to 16 sample charges from a total of 284 on the indictment.

He admitted six charges of unlawful carnal knowledge of one daughter, as well as five more of unlawful carnal knowledge and five of rape of his second daughter on dates from 1968 to 1988 at six separate addresses.

Mr Justice Carney suspended one of the seven years, taking into consideration Kelleher's early guilty plea. Kelleher's first wife died in 1988 and he remarried in June 1989 and has a daughter and son by this union.

Mr Justice Carney said Kelleher had had penetrative sex with his daughters when they were extremely young, and he had to take into account the effect it had had on them.