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.
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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.
