Jailed for sexually assaulting two children in Louth

A grandfather who sexually assaulted two young children in County Louth, whose mothers had viewed him as a father figure, has been jailed for four and a half years at Dundalk Circuit Court.

The 67 year old man, who can’t be named for legal reasons, does not accept the verdict of the jury who convicted him last July after a seven day trial, of five offences including two counts of sexually exploiting a child.

The victims in this case, are first cousins, and the defendant at the time was married to a relative of their mothers and was part of the extended family.

The garda investigation began, after the paternal grandmother of the young boy contacted Tusla, the child and family agency, following a conversation with the child about abuse that occurred at the boy’s home when he was six or seven years old, when the defendant stayed over and slept in his bed.

The offending occurred between January 1st and July 1st 2017.

The exploitation convictions related to two separate incidents where the boy was asked to perform a sexual activity in exchange for using the defendant’s iPad and he was asked to keep the offending a secret.

The father of four was also found guilty of sexually assaulting the then six year old girl, on the day of a family gathering in his own home in June 2017, while they were watching TV with other children.

Judge Dara Hayes said this offence was brazenly carried out while other children were present in the room.

He noted that as the defendant doesn’t accept the jury’s verdict, the probation report indicated he had limited insight into his offending and an overall lack of concern for the victims was identified as a risk factor and the Probation Service was unable to recommend a plan for probation supervision.

Judge Hayes said the defendant had taken advantage of the children’s trust and their vulnerability.

He imposed concurrent sentences of five and a half years with the final 12 months suspended, on him entering a good behaviour bond and being placed under the supervision of the Probation Service for two years post release.