Man sentenced to 11 years in prison for rape and sexual assault of his goddaughter

Eimear Dodd

A man who raped and sexually assaulted his young goddaughter has been jailed for 11 years.

The man (42) was convicted of two counts of rape and three of sexual assault following a trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick earlier this year.

The court heard that the incidents occurred between 2009 and 2012 at locations in Co Clare, when the girl was aged between six and nine years old. The man was in his late 20s at this time.

He can't be identified to protect her right to anonymity. The court previously heard he is married to the girl's aunt and her godfather.

The man continues to maintain his innocence.

On Thursday, he was handed a sentence of 11 years and six months, with the final six months suspended for one year on strict conditions.

In a victim impact statement read on her behalf at an earlier hearing, the injured party said her childhood and innocence were stolen.

She said she doesn't recall any happy memories, only fear and pain. She said she may “never be able to be normal”.

She “remembers everything he did to me,” and it makes her feel “sick and depressed”.

She said she was an innocent child and “no child deserves to be raped and sexually assaulted by a grown man”.

“I was a helpless child, crying for him to stop, but he never did”.

She said she “wanted to die” and stopped eating, going to “skin and bone”. She also suffered from depression and anxiety.

She said she feels the same, despite the man's conviction, adding that it is “great he will get a few years in prison, which is some justice...but not for me”.

She said what happened will always be with her, and it “saddens and sickens me how any man can rape a child”.

Imposing sentence today, Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo noted the seriousness of this offending, its impact on the victim, her age at the time and that multiple incidents occurred.

He set a headline sentence of 13 years to reflect the man's global offending, which he reduced to 11 and a half years, taking into account the mitigation, including testimonials on the man's behalf.

Mr Justice Naidoo noted the testimonials state that the man has made “positive contributions” to his community, including a local sports club.

An investigating garda gave evidence that the man touched the girl inappropriately for the first time just after her sixth birthday while she was staying at his home.

He raped her in a separate incident after giving her his phone to play a game on. She didn't know what was happening, and when she asked him, he replied, “It's okay, it will be over soon”.

The girl said it felt like her insides were being ripped apart, and she was crying and begging him to stop.

In another incident, he touched the girl inappropriately. His wife came home and was unhappy that the girl was not in school. After her aunt left, the man raped the girl. He again gave her his phone to play with.

The girl noticed some bleeding afterwards. Her mother and grandmother gave evidence during the trial that they knew about this bleeding, but there was no medical follow-up at the time.

At a later date, the defendant brought the girl to another location where he touched her inappropriately. She asked to go home, telling him she didn't like being touched.

The girl disclosed the abuse in 2020, and a specialist interview took place in early 2021. She requested that the investigation be paused while she completed her state exams, and it resumed after she made another statement.

The defendant denied the allegations when interviewed. During the trial, the defence case was that these events didn't happen, with the girl having false, untrue or invented memories.

The defendant has no previous convictions.

The investigating garda agreed with Mark Nicholas SC, defending, that there is no evidence that the man told the girl not to tell anyone.

It was further accepted that the man has a long work history, seems well-regarded in his community and has been involved in fundraising and community activities.

Mr Nicholas asked the court to take into account the running of the trial. He submitted that the sexual assaults were not at the more serious end of the range for this type of offending.

Counsel asked the court to take into account his client's personal circumstances and any mitigating features of the case, including his client's lack of previous convictions.

Testimonials were submitted to the court on the man's behalf, which Mr Nicholas said described his client as a good worker and a provider for his family.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.