Jail for father who abused and raped his own daughter

A MAN who brought a shotgun to his nine-year-old daughter’s bedroom when he sexually abused her, has been given an 11-and-a-half-year sentence.

The man told the child he would shoot her mother if she told anyone what had happened, the Central Criminal Court heard.

His daughter, now a mother, said she could not imagine how anyone could hurt their child. She said she liked to believe her father did what he did as he drank too much and did not know what he was doing.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, she described the effects of the abuse on her and said it had taken a long time to come to terms with what had happened.

The man, 65, who cannot be identified, had denied a single count of rape and six counts of sexual assault between August 1991 and August 1993. He was convicted last July.

Judge Michael Moriarty described the offences as ‘extremely grave’ and ‘utterly reprehensible’.

Bernard Madden SC, defending, handed in a number of testimonials on his client’s behalf.

He outlined a number of health issues including high blood pressure and cholesterol detailed in a medical report. He said the accused was at significant risk for a major cardiac event in the future. Judge Moriarty imposed concurrent sentences totalling 11and-a-half years, but suspended the final 15 months.