Dublin man to be sentenced later for rape, sexual assault and exploitation of a child over 10-year period

A Dublin man will be sentenced later this year for the raping, sexually assaulting and exploitating a child over a 10-year period.

Thomas Neville (59), of Railway Avenue, Inchicore, was found unanimously guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court on July 11th of one count of rape, one count of child exploitation and 20 counts of sexual assault at various locations in Dublin between 2010 and 2020.

He has 35 previous convictions, 34 of which are for road traffic matters and one for sexual assault. Neville does not accept the verdict of the jury. The injured party in the case asked that Neville be named.

Det Garda Leonard Wheeler told Philip Rahn SC, prosecuting, that the abuse came to light in August 2020 when the injured party told a friend about it. This friend then told her mother and the matter was reported to the gardaí. The injured party was 14 at this time.

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The girl was interviewed by specialist gardaí and this interview was recorded and played in evidence during the trial. The court heard the abuse consisted of Neville inappropriately touching the girl and pressing his genitals against her. The charge of sexual exploitation involved Neville showing the girl a pornographic video.

Cocaine

The court also heard that Neville gave the child cocaine and took the drug in her presence.

Neville was arrested, detained and interviewed in November 2020. He was cooperative with gardaí and answered all questions, but he denied all allegations put to him.

A victim impact statement was handed into the court and read aloud by the victim.

“I had to grow up quickly and I still struggle with nightmares,” she said, adding that she has had “mental health issues” since being assaulted.

She said she was terrified at being “vulnerable” but was now “learning how to create healthy relationships”. She thanked her family, the Director of Public Prosecutions and gardaí for their support and for “getting her the justice I deserve”.

More serious range

Mr Rahn told the court that the Director of the Public Prosecution’s believes the offences lie in the more serious range and outlined a sentence of between 10-15 years.

Conor Devally SC, for Neville, said his client’s sister not only sees him as an “older brother, but as a father figure” and she has “entrusted him to mind her child in the past and would trust him again”. Letters were handed to the court from Neville’s family members, but not read aloud.

Judge Caroline Biggs said she was “not going to finalise this case today as I want to consider this matter”.

She adjourned the case for finalisation until October 23rd.