The Office of the Inspector of Prisons noted that Irish Prison Service (IPS) protocol requires the families of inmates to be contacted 'in the quickest way possible' in the event of grave illness.

The offences took place at locations that included the man's home, a midlands sports ground and a hotel in Dublin.

At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Mr Justice John Edwards rejected the appeal by the 59-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter.

The man (22) admitted raping the 13-year-old girl and falsely imprisoning her 16-year-old friend after he drove the teenage girls to buy weed in Co Tipperary on June 22nd last year

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 64-month prison sentence on Kevin Murphy - formerly of Querrin, Kilkee - and suspended the final eight months.