A Laois man called yesterday for the establishment of a register of sex offenders in Ireland. He made his demand while telling the Central Criminal Court about how his family had been "destroyed" by an employee who sexually abused his son.
The 26-year-old married defendant pleaded guilty to two specimen charges of rape and sexual assault of the now 16year-old victim in the early 1990s.
He also pleaded guilty to three specimen charges of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl, when she was aged five, and to raping her digitally and to sexual assault. The case was adjourned with the defendant in custody to Monday next.
Ms Maureen Clark SC, prosecuting, said the guilty pleas had been accepted on the basis that they were representative of the full abuse the victims suffered. She said the witness's son had been a curious and happy boy when the defendant began working for his father. He asked about sex and the defendant engaged in mutual masturbation with him before proceeding to oral sex and rape. This continued for two years.
On two occasions the defendant tied the boy to a tree and tied string around the boy's genitals. The boy went into agony as the string was pulled tightly.
The boy's parents were unaware of the abuse until a pornographic video the defendant gave the boy was found. The victim disclosed that he was also shown pornographic magazines by the man.
The court heard the girl, now aged 12, made a complaint about the abuse she had suffered years earlier after the "Stay Safe" programme was instituted in her school. The victim's mother said her family had been devastated by the abuse as they had treated the defendant as a family member.