An unemployed mother of one who sexually abused her friend's four-year-old daughter has been jailed for six months by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The 34-year-old woman, from the north midlands, pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a date unknown between April 11th and May 10th, 1996.
Judge Dunne made an order prohibiting publication of any names and of the county in which the parties reside.
The girl made complaints in April 1997 to her mother that she was being interfered with by certain people, and three men were subsequently arrested. During this investigation the offences involving the woman came to light.
Following the first allegations garda∅ embarked on an extensive investigation during which one of the men committed suicide. The court heard he was related to the young girl.
One of the other men was dealt with some time ago in the Central Criminal Court, and the third is due to stand trial early in the new year. The offences these men are charged with are more serious than those involving the woman.
The court heard the woman used to stay over at the victim's house and look after her. She was arrested in April 1998 and made a fully-cautioned statement admitting the offences.
The girl was taken into care following the woman's arrest and according to reports is making good progress in full-time foster care.
Mr Breffini Gordon, defending, said his client had a five-year-old child herself with her partner of eight years and was terrified at the prospect of a prison sentence.
She was also undergoing a risk assessment by the health board and there was a great fear her daughter would be taken away from her and placed in foster care. This was a matter of grave concern to her.
Mr Gordon pleaded for leniency because she co-operated with garda∅ from the outset and because her charges were less serious than those faced by others in relation to the girl.
Judge Dunne said it was a very difficult case to deal with but she acknowledged it was not the most serious type of such offending.
She refused to defer the sentence for 14 days so the defence could make an application to the Court of Criminal Appeal, but did so for seven days so that the woman could make arrangements regarding the care of her daughter.