A 79-yr-old man who abused his grand-daughters in their Cavan home didn't take responsibility for his actions until after the court case brought against him had begun. One of his victims - now a 22-yr-old woman - described the difficulty of having the trial "hanging over our heads". The offences occurred in his Dublin home and the girls' family home in Cavan.
The Dublin pensioner pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to 11 counts of sexual abuse against both girls on dates between 2006 and 2020. The older girl was aged between three and 12 years old during the abuse, while her younger sister, who is now 13 years old, was aged between five and eight years old. The man had denied the charges and did not plead guilty until the second day of the trial after a jury was sworn by which time, the grand-daughters had not given their evidence.
The older grand-daughter and her mother read victim impact statements to the court. The victim said her grandfather warned her not to tell anyone of the abuse because she wouldn't be believed and she had intended keeping the secret to her grave. She said keeping the secret led to her needing control on her life and she developed an eating disorder. She also spoke of how many people in the family did not believe her and her sister, including their grandmother, the accused's wife.
The complainants' mother read a victim impact statement on behalf of the second victim. She said the fact that the man denied the offences and made liars out of her daughters "added salt to the wound". "I hope he gets what he deserves," she added. Imposing consecutive sentences of three years for the sexual assault of the younger girl and four years for the assault on the older girl, Judge Elva Duffy, said "Nothing this court does can take away the suffering."
