Man who sexually abused his vulnerable stepdaughter for six years must go to prison

The 52-year-old was found guilty of 25 counts of sexual assault in a trial before the Central Criminal Court in February.

The offences occurred over a six-year period between February 2011 and January 2017 at an address in County Offaly.

The victim is the daughter of the man’s ex-partner and was 21 when the sexual assaults began. The court heard that she had mental health problems that required inpatient treatment in psychiatric hospitals since 2010.

Sentencing today, Judge Karen O’Connor said aggravating circumstances included the “significant” breach of trust and the fact that the man lived in the victim’s home as part of the family.

She found that the abuse had occurred over a long period of time and that its nature and frequency were further aggravating factors.

The judge said the victim was a vulnerable person and that the man was aware of this, adding that his actions included “an element of controlling behaviour” and “gratuitous unkindness”.

Judge O’Connor noted that mitigating circumstances included the man’s professional career and lack of relevant criminal records.

She sentenced the man to eight years in prison, retroactively to October, to take into account the time he had already spent in custody.

She said the court had taken into account that the man had expressed remorse at an earlier hearing but was “not entirely convinced” of this. She noted that the probation report stated that while the man accepted responsibility, he had limited insight into his offending and was not suitable for probation supervision.

A local Garda officer told prosecutor Seamus Clarke SC at an earlier hearing that the first incident occurred while the victim was washing dishes in the kitchen in early 2011. The man approached her from behind and touched her breasts over her clothing.

In March 2011, the abuse began in the victim’s bedroom, where the man touched her inappropriately. He also unsuccessfully attempted to have sex with the victim or put his penis in her mouth.

The court heard that the woman told him to “stop” and that “what he was doing was not right”. He would then ignore her for several weeks or tell her mother she was not doing the housework properly.

Over time, the abuse escalated to include inappropriate touching of her vagina, digital penetration, and attempts by the man to place the victim’s hand on his penis.

Sometimes he would enter the bathroom while she was showering and wash her back or touch her inappropriately. She would tell him to “get out” and “leave her alone.”

The victim suffered from nosebleeds and the man picked her nose and touched her face, which she did not like.

The most recent incident occurred in January 2017, when the man came into her bedroom while she was trying to sleep, lay down next to her in bed and began touching her inappropriately.

The relationship between the man and the victim’s mother ended in early 2017 and he left the house. The victim told work colleagues about the sexual assault in May 2017 when the man returned to her home.

He was arrested and denied any wrongdoing when questioned. The man later left the jurisdiction and a European arrest warrant was issued for him. The court heard that he had attempted to inform Gardai of the investigation through a friend and inform them of his new address.

He was extradited to Ireland in April 2021 and released on bail shortly thereafter.

He testified on his own behalf during the trial.

In her victim impact statement, the victim said that at 21 she had “dreams and hopes for the future,” but “that all changed after years of sexual abuse.”

She lost her “carefree attitude to life” and is now “anxious and fearful.” She said she moved because she was “afraid” the man would come and find her. She said she developed trust issues and had nightmares.

She said she self-harmed to “deal with the pain” and spent time in psychiatric hospitals.

Judge O’Connor thanked the woman for her evidence and expressed the court’s hope that she would accept all the support available to her and regain some of her lost self-confidence.

Defence lawyer Eanna Mulloy SC asked the court to take into account any mitigating circumstances in determining the man’s sentence and evidence during the trial.

He said his client accepted the jury’s verdict and wanted to apologize to the victim.