RCNI criticises lenient sentencing

Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) has expressed outrage over the handing down of a two-year sentence, 12 months of which were suspended, to a father of eight who plied a 15-year-old girl with drink, had sex with her and videotaped the abuse.

Anthony Nagle (48), Nicholas Square, Ballymachthomas, Cork, received the sentence at Cork Circuit Court yesterday after admitting three charges including possessing child pornography, producing child pornography and using a child for sexual exploitation between September and October 2005. Mr Nagle was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The RCNI said today it was "appalled" at the leniency of the sentence and said it believed the the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) should consider appealing it.

"This man committed a number of very serious sexual offences against a child. His actions and the mitigation put forward by his team tell us that despite his guilty plea he wishes to be seen as having a very low level of responsibility for his actions. The RCNI are appalled at what this case and sentence tells us about our standards of child protection," said Fiona Neary, director of RCNI.

"Messages on child protection, particularly for vulnerable teenagers, must be clear and unambiguous from the legislation through to sentencing. Government and judges are failing to deliver that child protection message," she added.