Elderly man jailed for abuse of granddaughter

A 72-year-old man who told his nine-year-old granddaughter that her grandmother in heaven would be very displeased with her if she told anyone that he was abusing her has been jailed for four years.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin imposed a seven-year jail term with the last three years suspended on the man from west Cork, who was convicted of four counts of sexually assaulting his granddaughter.

The jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that the girl had been sent to visit her grandfather by her parents after the elderly man complained of being lonely following the death of his wife.

The girl, who gave evidence by video link during the four-day trial, said her grandfather used to show her pornographic films and then get her to behave like the women in the films.

He also got her to play strip poker with him before he abused her.

He warned her that if she told anyone it would upset her granny in heaven, as it would lead to him ending up in prison with rats.

The man, who can’t be named in order to protect the identity of his victim, denied the four counts of abuse between July and October 2013.

He was convicted unanimously by the jury in less than two hours.