A 37-YEAR-OLD Co Waterford father who sexually abused his 13-year-old daughter after buying her alcohol has been given a 12-year jail sentence.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said the aggravating factors in the case included the breach of trust, the girl’s age, the multiplicity of offences, the effect on the victim and the cynical nature of the grooming involved in providing strong alcohol for her while he remained sober.
The man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape and anal rape of the girl, as well as two counts of oral rape and three counts of sexual assault at his home in November and December 2011.
The judge imposed a 12-year sentence but suspended the final four years after taking into account the man’s guilty plea, early admissions and strong work ethic. He directed the man undergo five years’ post-release supervision and declared him a sex offender.
Garda Siobhán Keating told Martina Baxter, prosecuting, that the girl’s parents’ relationship had broken down and she stayed in her father’s house with a friend on a number of occasions.
She was allowed to drink and smoke while in her father’s house – activities which had been forbidden by her mother. Her father would buy the girls alcohol. He did not drink any alcohol.
In November 2011 the girl and a friend stayed over at her father’s house. She gave him money to buy her alcohol and he also got her cigarettes. Her father went out and on his return he told her she could stay in his bed after which the abuse took place.
When he left the room she went into the other bedroom to her friend and stayed there but did not tell her what had happened.
The following month she was again at her father’s house and had fallen asleep in the living room after drinking alcohol. When she awoke he was on top of her and raped her.
After these incidents her father sent her text messages over a number of weeks begging her not to tell anyone. The offences eventually came to light after the girl told a friend what had happened and a complaint was made to gardaí.
The man was arrested and made limited admissions at first. He denied having sex with the girl or being aggressive and said she had kissed him. He became more forthcoming in later interviews. He accepted he was sober at the time but had bought alcohol for the girls.