Courts

Man jailed for rape and sexual abuse of his son

Victim, now aged 24, says father defiled him in ‘worst ways possible’ but has clearly shown him how not to act if he wants to be a good person

The Co Meath (59) man was convicted of one count of rape and 31 counts of sexual assault after a trial at the Central Criminal Court. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
Eimear Dodd
Tue Jul 30 2024 - 20:56

A man who offended “against the essence of a natural father-son relationship” by sexually abusing his child over a seven-year period has been jailed for 12 years.

The 59-year-old Co Meath man was convicted of one count of rape and 31 counts of sexual assault following a trial at the Central Criminal Court in April. He cannot be named to protect the anonymity of his son, who was aged between five and 13 when the abuse occurred from June 2005 and March 2013 at the family home.

The now 24-year-old victim read his impact statement to the court at an earlier hearing, saying: “My entire childhood and innocence was taken from me without consent.”

He said his father’s job was to take care of him, but instead he was a man “who in the worst ways possible defiled me”. He said he never felt safe, comfortable or loved in his father’s company.

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The victim said he is “living proof that people will endure the most unimaginable hardships” and that he has broken the cycle of generational trauma. He added that the man had given him “a great gift in his abhorrence”.

“He has shown me how to live my life as a good man and how I should not be,” he said.

Imposing sentence on Tuesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the rape by the man of his young son “offends against the essence of a natural father-son relationship”.

He said this was serious offending within the context of sexual abuse over a long period of time, during which the man used “grooming type behaviour” and abused his son “for his own gratification”. The judge also noted the breach of trust towards the boy and his mother and that the abuse took place in the family home where the child ought to have been safe.

Mr Justice McDermott said the sexual abuse had a serious impact on the victim and it “dominated and undermined his childhood and teenage years”.

Referring to the victim impact statement, the judge said it outlined the “desolation” and “devastating ongoing consequences” of the abuse on the victim.

He also noted that the victim said he feels shame and guilt, but the judge said any “shame and guilt for these offences lies not with him, but squarely and entirely with the offender and no one else”.

Mr Justice McDermott set a headline sentence of 12½ years in relation to the rape offence and a sentence of 10½ years on each count of sexual assault. The judge said there is “very little” mitigation but said he had considered the man’s work history, his age, isolation and health issues.

He noted that the man continues to deny the offences and has not expressed remorse or regret. He also said that the man alleged a conspiracy on the part of the victim and his mother to ruin his reputation and to retain the family home.

An investigating garda previously told Anne Rowland SC, prosecuting, that the victim recalled the first incident of sexual assault took place after his fifth birthday. Around this time, the victim’s mother was working some evenings. On this particular night, the man called the boy into his bedroom to watch TV and they both undressed and were naked in bed.

The abuse continued over the following 7½-year period, taking place less than once a week before the boy turned six. It escalated to weekly when the boy was between six and eight, and became less frequent when he was nine to 13.

The boy’s mother later started to sleep in a separate bedroom due to marital difficulties. The boy would sleep in the master bedroom with his father on some nights, particularly at weekends. The court heard the atmosphere in the house was tense and the man was drinking heavily.

The boy’s mother gave evidence during the trial and said she commented when she found the boy in the master bedroom that the man was like Michael Jackson and he told her she was sick in the head.