A 50-year-old man who orally raped the 12-year-old son of his friend after plying him with drinks and cannabis has been jailed for seven years by the Central Criminal Court.
Stephen Coleman, of Dorset Street, Dublin, who described himself to gardaí as "a non-practising bisexual", pleaded guilty last February to orally raping the boy at at Joyce Road, Drumcondra, his address at the time, on January 15th, 2001.
Mr Justice Carney said he had to regard with utmost seriousness the age disparity between Coleman, who was 49 at the time, and his 12-year-old victim.
Plying the boy with drinks and drugs to intoxicate him before committing the offence, and his abuse of the position of trust, were other aggravating factors against Coleman, Mr Justice Carney said.
In Coleman's favour were his co-operation with gardaí and his plea of guilty which helped the court clear a slot to deal with another pervert.
Mr Justice Carney noted that the court was currently struggling to deal with a backlog of 18 months in bringing such cases to justice.
He suspended the final two years of Coleman's sentence in view of these factors.
He added Coleman's name to the sexual offenders' register and directed that he be under post-release supervision when he came out of prison.