12 Years For Father Who Raped 13-Year-Old Daughter

A 37-year-old Co Waterford man has been jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing his 13-year-old daughter.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said the aggravating factors in the case included the breach of trust, the girl’s age, the multiplicity of offences, the effect on the victim and the cynical nature of the grooming involved in providing strong alcohol for her while he remained sober.

The man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape and anal rape of the girl, as well as two counts of oral rape and three counts of sexual assault at his home in November and December 2011.

Garda Siobhán Keating told Martina Baxter, prosecuting, that the girl’s parents’ relationship had broken down and the 13-year-old would stay at her father’s house with a friend.

While staying with him her father would let her smoke and drink, supplying the alcohol and cigarettes himself.

In November 2011 the girl and a friend stayed over at her father’s house. She gave him money to buy her alcohol and he also got her cigarettes. Her father later went out and on his return told her she could stay in his bed after which the abuse took place.

The following month she was again at her father’s house and had fallen asleep in the living room after drinking alcohol. When she awoke he was on top of her and proceeded to rape her.

For a number of weeks after her father sent her text messages begging her not to tell anyone.

The offences eventually came to light after the girl told a friend what had happened and a complaint was made to gardaí.

The man was arrested and made limited admissions at first. He denied having sex with the girl or being aggressive and said she had kissed him. He became more forthcoming in later interviews. He accepted he was sober at the time but had bought alcohol for the girls.

The judge imposed a 12-year sentence but suspended the final four years after taking into account the man’s guilty plea, early admissions and strong work ethic. He directed the man undergo five years’ post-release supervision and declared him a sex offender.

(H/GK)