Man jailed sexually abusing vulnerable adult stepdaughter

This article contains references to sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

By Eimear Dodd

A man who sexually assaulted his vulnerable adult stepdaughter over a six-year period has been jailed for eight years.

The 52-year-old was convicted of 25 sample counts of sexual assault following a trial at the Central Criminal Court in February.

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

The victim is the daughter of the man’s ex-partner and was 21 when the sexual assaults started. The court heard she has mental health difficulties, which have required periods of in-patient care at psychiatric units since 2010.

Imposing sentence on Friday, Justice Karen O’Connor said the aggravating features included the “significant” breach of trust and that the man was living in the victim’s home as part of the family unit.

She noted that the abuse took place over an extended period of time, its nature and frequency as other aggravating factors.

The judge said the victim was a vulnerable individual, which the man was aware of, adding that there was “an element of controlling behaviour” and “gratuitous unkindness” in his actions.

Ms Justice O’Connor noted the mitigation included the man’s work history and his lack of previous relevant convictions.

She handed the man a sentence of eight years, backdated to October, to give credit for time already served in custody.

She said the court took into consideration that the man had expressed remorse at an earlier hearing, but was “not entirely convinced” by it, She noted the Probation Report states while the man accepts responsibility, he has limited insight into his offending and is not suitable for probation supervision.

A local garda told Seamus Clarke SC, prosecuting, at a previous hearing that the first incident occurred when the victim was washing dishes in the kitchen in early 2011. The man came up behind her and touched her breasts over her clothing.

In March 2011, the abuse started to take place in the victim’s bedroom, where the man would touch her inappropriately. He also tried unsuccessfully to have sex with the victim or to put his penis into her mouth.

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

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

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

The victim suffered from nosebleeds, and the man would flick her nose and touch her face, which she didn’t like.

The final incident took place in January 2017 when the man came into her bedroom while she was trying to sleep. He got into bed beside her and started to touch 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 assaults in May 2017, when the man returned to her home.

He was arrested and denied any wrongdoing when interviewed. The man later left the jurisdiction, and a European arrest warrant was issued for him. The court heard he attempted to contact gardai, through a friend, about the investigation and to inform them of his new residence.

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

He gave evidence on his own behalf during the trial.

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

She lost her “carefree approach to life” and is now “anxious and fearful”. She said she moved as she was “terrified” the man would come and find her. She said she has developed trust issues and experienced nightmares.

She said she self-harmed to “cope with the pain” and has spent time in psychiatric wards.

Ms Justice O’Connor thanked the woman for her statement and expressed the court’s hope that she would take all the support available to her and regain some of her lost confidence.

Eanna Mulloy SC, defending, asked the court to consider all of the mitigating factors when structuring the sentence and the man’s evidence during the trial.

He said his client accepts the verdict of the jury and wished to offer an apology to the victim.