Latest news with #MsJusticeCarolineBiggs
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Irish Times
Man who sexually abused five children jailed: ‘He took my life away from me'
A man who sexually abused and assaulted five children has been jailed for 8½ years. The Central Criminal Court heard he was in a relationship with the children's mother and was the biological father of the younger two. The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of one boy on dates between 2004 and 2011, when the child was aged between 11 and 18. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a second boy on dates between 2006 and 2013 when the child was aged 12 and 19. He pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty concerning a third boy on dates between 2013 and 2015, the boy was aged between 12 and 14. READ MORE He further pleaded guilty to sexual assault of two girls on dates in 2015. One girl was aged 14 at this time, while the second was nine. The court heard these pleas were representative counts from an indictment with 107 charges. It was indicated to Ms Justice Caroline Biggs on Wednesday, that the victims in this case wish to retain their anonymity. She said she had considered the 'extremely poignant and harrowing' evidence from their victim-impact statements. She said the events 'caused them irreparable and profound psychological damage'. The judge acknowledged the man's guilty plea and the recent letter of apology indicating his remorse. She imposed consecutive sentences totalling 11 years and suspended the final 2½ years, for 2½ years, on strict conditions. The investigating garda told Paul Greene SC, prosecuting, that the mother of the children went to a Garda station in 2015 after the breakdown of her relationship with the man. The complainants variously outlined being beaten by him with implements, including a stone rolling pin. He sexually abused four of the children and subjected them to humiliating acts of sexual violence. They outlined how he enjoyed inflicting pain and playing cruel games with them. He pretended to knock down the family dog, who was later found to be fine but was then sold by the man. In victim-impact statements the oldest complainant told the court that as he gets older, the abuse follows him like a shadow as he replays events in his mind. He said the stigma made it hard for him to seek support, leaving him isolated in his pain. He said he asks himself what he could have done differently so his brothers and sisters would not have to go through what happened to them. His younger brother described how he turned to alcohol to try to blank out his pain. 'He took my life away from me and I hope he gets the justice he deserves because my life is well and truly gone,' he said. The youngest boy described how his earliest memories are of being afraid. He said he believed the man enjoyed inflicting pain, only stopping when the child was emotionally broken. The youngest girl said she feels nothing but hatred for the man. She said he was very violent and had ruined her and her sister's lives in so many ways. Her sister, who has medical difficulties and is a vulnerable person, said she is happy he is going to jail.
BreakingNews.ie
09-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (53) who sexually abused and assaulted five children in his family jailed for 8.5 years
A man who sexually abused and assaulted five children has been jailed for eight and a half years. The Central Criminal Court heard that the man was in a relationship with the mother of the children and was the biological father of the younger two children. Advertisement The 53-year-old man pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of one boy on dates between 2004 and 2011, when the child was aged between 11 and 18 years old. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a second boy on dates between 2006 and 2013 when the child was aged 12 and 19. He pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty in relation to a third boy on dates between 2013 and 2015, the boy was aged between 12 and 14. He further pleaded guilty to sexual assault of two girls on dates in 2015. One girl was aged 14 at this time, while the second girl was aged nine. Advertisement The court heard these pleas were representative counts from an indictment with 107 charges. It was indicated to Ms Justice Caroline Biggs on Wednesday that the victims in this case wish to retain their anonymity. Passing sentence, Ms Justice Biggs apologised to the victims for the delay in the case coming to court and added that she is aware that she is part of that court system. She said she had considered the 'extremely poignant and harrowing' evidence from their victim impact statements. Advertisement 'The events that occurred involved coercion, control and intimidation with threats of violence and use of violence in an environment that facilitated child cruelty and sexual violence,' Ms Justice Biggs said. She said the abuse occurred over a sustained period of time and 'involved fear, shame, degradation and confusion' on children who were supposed to be in the man's care. 'It caused them irreparable and profound psychological damage,' Ms Justice Biggs continued. She noted from various reports before the court that the man is beginning to understand the harm he caused his children and step-children, and acknowledged that he is considered to be a medium risk for sexual re-offending and low risk for violent re-offending. Advertisement Ms Justice Biggs said the aggravating features included the fact that it involved multiple incidents with multiple victims and featured 'gratuitous degradation' of children who were under the man's care. She said the offences represented an 'awesome breach of trust' and said the man had taken advantage of the victims' vulnerabilities. She acknowledged his plea of guilty and the recent letter of apology indicating his remorse. Ms Justice Biggs imposed consecutive sentences totalling 11 years and suspended the final two and a half years for two and a half years on strict conditions. Advertisement The judge said she was suspending part of the sentence to encourage rehabilitation and to give the man the opportunity to change. 'He seems to be at a stage of infancy in coming to terms with what he has done to his family,' Ms Justice Biggs remarked. She said the other reason she was suspending part of the term was to ensure the man is supervised on his transition back into the community so that his risk of re-offending is limited. Ms Justice Biggs thanked all of the victims, naming each of them individually, for their patience and victim impact evidence. She wished them all the best for the future. The investigating garda told Paul Greene SC, prosecuting, that the mother of the children presented at a garda station in 2015 following the breakdown of her relationship with the man. All five of the woman's children made disclosures of sexual, physical and emotional abuse and cruelty at the hands of the man. Two of the children were by now adults and no longer living at home. The court heard that one of the victims was a vulnerable child with a number of medical difficulties. The complainants variously outlined being beaten by the man with implements, including with a stone rolling pin. He sexually abused four of the children and subjected them to humiliating acts of sexual violence. They outlined how he enjoyed inflicting pain and playing cruel games with them. He pretended to knock down the family dog, who was later found to be fine, but was then sold by the man. Following the disclosure by the family members, the man was interviewed. He denied the allegations, describing them as disgusting and nonsense. Victim impact statements In their victim impact statements, the siblings outlined the effects the devastating abuse had on their lives, family, mental health and relationships. The oldest complainant told the court that as he gets older, the abuse follows him like a shadow as he replays events in his mind. He said the stigma made it hard for him to seek support, leaving him isolated in his pain. He described how the abuse has left a long-lasting impact on his life. He said he asks himself what he could have done differently so his brothers and sisters would not have to go through what happened to them. His younger brother described to the court how he turned to alcohol to try and blank out his pain and how this has affected every part of his life. 'He took my life away from me, and I hope he gets the justice he deserves because my life is well and truly gone,' he told the court. The youngest boy described how his earliest memories are of being afraid. He said he believed the man enjoyed inflicting pain, only stopping when the child was emotionally broken down. He told the court how he was locked out in all weathers and the cruel games the man played. He described how he suffers with his mental health and self-esteem and told the court he experimented with drugs to try and block out the pain. He said he feels damaged and tainted. The man had altered, affected and shaped every aspect of his life through his cruelty, he said. The youngest girl told the court she feels nothing but hatred for the accused man. She said he had groomed her and breached her trust. She described how her dog had been her one comfort, but the man led her to believe he had killed her pet. She said the accused man was a very violent man and he had ruined her and her sister's lives in so many ways. She said the trauma she endured had never left her. She said the accused man had made everyone believe they were liars and left them with nothing because they told the secrets they were supposed to keep. 'I hope he never gets to inflict this on anyone else,' she told the court. Her sister, who has medical difficulties and is a vulnerable person, told the court in her version of a victim impact statement that she could not get the accused out of her head when she sleeps. She said the accused man made her feel sad, and she is happy he is going to jail. In his plea of mitigation, Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, said the man was 'restricted' to working on the family farm with his father for much of his life. He said the man was 'suffering from significant confusion in his life in relation to his sexuality and where he stood in the world'. The court heard the man was someone who should 'never have married', that he has come out as gay, and that prior to going into custody, he was living with a new partner who was in court to support him. He said the man is 'beginning to understand the harm he has done and is developing remorse for his actions to this family'. The man is anxious to receive therapy and counselling for the 'significant confusion in his life'. He has suffered from depression and anxiety, the court heard. Defence counsel said the man 'saved these young people, to whom he apologises, the burden of having to come to court and give evidence before a jury'. Prosecution counsel told the court this was the first time the man had expressed any remorse to the family. Additional evidence The oldest child, by now an adult, gave a statement to gardaí outlining how the man would pull down his pants and grope him during his childhood and youth. He would also expose himself to the child. The eldest boy also described physical violence and beatings throughout the time the accused man was in his life, such as beating him with a stone rolling pin. He outlined how the accused would change the TV channel to adult pornography while the children were watching television. He told gardaí how he had felt sad, abused and humiliated by the abuse perpetrated on him during his childhood, which ended when he left home in 2012. The second eldest child, also a boy, gave a number of statements to gardaí outlining similar sexual and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of the accused. He said if he or his brother refused to do what the man asked, they would be punished or beaten later. He said the accused man would punch them or hit them with 'whatever was handy', including kitchen utensils, wooden spoons, rolling pins, curtain rails and a broom. The third child, a girl, had to be interviewed by specialist interviewers due to her particular vulnerabilities. She described the sexual abuse she suffered to the best of her abilities and indicated the man was the perpetrator. The second youngest child, the third boy, outlined the physical violence and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of the accused. He recalled being hit with the branch of a tree, the stick end of a brush and a metal stick. He recalled being locked out of the house and repeatedly hit in the face. He also described how the man pretended to run over the boy's dog, and told him the dog had died. The dog was very important to the boy, and he believed his dog was dead for a number of days until it was discovered elsewhere on the property. The man later sold the dog. He also described an incident of attempted sexual assault at the hands of the man. The youngest child, a girl, described the accused man regularly touching her inappropriately and also recalled the man telling her that her dog was dead. He would tell her not to tell anyone what he was doing, or he would kill her dog. 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 or visit Rape Crisis Help .
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Irish Times
Man appealing rape and sexual assault convictions was deprived of fair trial, Court of Appeal told
A 23-year-old man who raped and sexually assaulted one teenage friend and sexually abused another acquaintance when they were all teenagers has appealed his conviction, arguing the decision not to hear the cases separately deprived him of a fair trial. The youth was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault against the first injured party by a Central Criminal Court jury. The defendant pleaded guilty in advance of his trial to one count of sexual assault against a second injured party. The offending took place in various locations in the northeast between July 2017 and September 2018. The court heard he was 16 when he carried out the rape. Sentencing the man in March 2024, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs imposed a term of three years and nine months in prison for the rape offence. She further sentenced him to 11 months for the sexual assault of the same injured party, with both sentences to run concurrently. READ MORE She imposed a sentence of two years and three months for the sexual assault of the second injured party, to run consecutively with the previous sentence, giving a combined global sentence of six years. At the Court of Appeal on Monday, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, representing the man, argued the trial judge had erred in refusing the defence application for a separate trial in respect of the complainants. He submitted the allegation of rape was 'significantly different' to the other charges on the indictment. Mr Ó Lideadha said the evidence given by the first complainant in relation to the charge of rape was that the man 'forced himself upon her' and 'held her down physically' in circumstances where she was explicitly saying no. He said that evidence was 'fundamentally and wholly different' from the evidence related to the sexual assaults, where the complainants said they shared a bed with the appellant and he engaged in sexual acts while they slept or pretended to sleep. He said the fact that they were the same age and part of the same peer group was not enough, and the similarities were not such as to justify a decision to say that it was a 'pattern'. Mr Ó Lideadha also argued that the failure to procure the complainants' phones at the time the allegations were made led to missing evidence, which deprived his client of a helpful line of defence. He said missing metadata from videos and photos was relevant because it could have pointed to a timeline where the first injured party's attitudes changed towards the appellant. 'If we had the original phone we could have got an expert witness to go into the box and say that photo or video was taken on such and such a day at such and such a time,' said counsel, going on to say instead, the defence had been deprived of this possibility because the phones had not been seized at the time. He said the missing data had real effects in terms of the issue of collusion and the evidence of the first complainant that the relationship 'soured' after the allegation of rape. In response, Seamus Clarke SC, for the State, said the defence had an expert on standby who carried out an extraction of the relevant evidence from the complainant's phones. 'I think the judge had a high degree of confidence that the material on the new phone - the old material transferred over to the new phone - that a significant amount of data was available,' he said, adding that number of photos and videos were retrieved. He said the defence was able to make its point sufficiently for there to be a fair trial. Concerning the failure to hold separate trials, Mr Clarke said the fact it was a different offence was 'by the side' in circumstances where the parties were all part of the same peer group, had attended parties together where they were all intoxicated and the appellant was 'taking advantage' of 'their friendship and loyalty'. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the court would reserve judgment.
