A 60-YEAR-old Cork man who buggered a girl and boy who were neighbours, and also raped the girl, has been jailed for 6 1/2 years by Mr Justice Moriarty at the Central Criminal Court.
The now 16-year-old girl took an overdose two years later. At the age of 11 she was sexually abused, threatened, hit, kicked and called a "slut" by the neighbour she did odd jobs for, the court was told. The man cannot be named for legal reasons.
At an earlier Central Criminal Court hearing, the retired labourer and father of six took the witness stand and said in the presence of the girl and her family: "I am very sorry for the children and their families."
In passing sentence, Mr Justice Moriarty said he took into consideration the fact that the defendant had admitted his wrongdoing from the start and pleaded guilty. He also took into consideration his age and frail health. The judge further noted that when he came out of prison the defendant would not be living in the same area he had offended in.