A man with a Tipperary address has been jailed for five years by Judge Frank O'Donnell for sexually assaulting three young west Dublin girls over a number of years.
Christopher Ellis (48), Cloughjordan, was found guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury on 37 counts of sexual and indecent assault on dates from 1985 to 1992 against the victims who are now in their early 20s.
The jury of five men and seven women took just under two hours and 15 minutes in October to unanimously convict Ellis on day three of his trial.
He pleaded guilty before the trial to one charge of indecent assault on one of the women. The victims said they wanted Ellis named in the media.
Judge O'Donnell said he would resist the temptation to make the sentences consecutive. There was nothing to indicate Ellis had any remorse or insight into his behaviour and he was satisfied he was a paedophile.
Judge O'Donnell directed that Ellis undergo post-release supervision for five years under the probation and welfare service.
The victims noted they would never forget his abuse of them and it was obvious that Ellis must also remember but he had put them through the trauma of a trial.
Judge O'Donnell complimented the victims whom he said were steadfast in their evidence and said they required courage for what they had to do. He was also satisfied Ellis had a fair trial.
"I'm satisfied the victims have suffered unnecessarily and were robbed of their innocence. There are few words of comfort that can be conveyed to them," he said.
Det Garda Edward McBride told prosecuting counsel, Mr Paul Carroll BL, the victims went together to the gardaí in 1999 when they learned Ellis was allegedly still abusing other young girls and they wanted to put a stop to that.
Ellis had no previous convictions and as far as he knew he had not been employed for at least 15 years. It seemed to have spent most of the time at home in bed.
Mr Carroll said none of the victims wished to give evidence about the effect the crimes had on them and were satisfied that the victim impact reports recorded this.
The reports showed they had all been psychologically affected and had life difficulties.
Det Gda McBride said one of the victims noted that the trauma of the trial had set things back again for her.
One of the complainants said Ellis told her she was his "special girl" and also referred to himself as her "uncle" though there was no relationship between them.
She told Mr Carroll that when she protested he was hurting her, Ellis replied she would get used to it.
She said she realised after some time he was doing the same thing to one of the other victims as he was to her.
Mr Martin Giblin SC (with Mr Raymond Farrell BL), pleaded for leniency on the grounds that Ellis looked after his father who was ill.
He had a serious history of paranoid schizophrenia and also of alcohol abuse, he said.