Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 22194Sexual assault · Co. Leitrim

Leitrim father's sexual assault conviction appeal dismissed

A 49-year-old father of seven from County Leitrim had his appeal against a sexual assault conviction dismissed by the Court of Criminal Appeal on 24 February 2023. He was convicted in September 2021 of forcing his young daughter to touch his penis and was sentenced to four years and 10 months' imprisonment.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In court25 Feb
  5. Convicted24 Feb
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
27 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe man was jailed for four years and 10 months for sexual assault (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • whereThe offences allegedly occurred at the family home in County Leitrim between May 2006 and November 2012. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whereThe abuse occurred at the family home in County Leitrim (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • whenThe girl made a complaint of sexual assault to a school chaplain in March 2013. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whenThe girl made a complaint to a school chaplain in March 2013 (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • whenThe abuse allegedly occurred between May 2006 and November 2012 (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • investigationThe appellant was questioned by gardaí in July 2013. (longfordleader.ie)
  • investigationThe appellant was questioned in July 2013 (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • investigationGardaí interviewed the man based on the time period when the girl was between 10 and 11 (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • chargeHe was arraigned in July 2021 on 15 counts of sexual assault. (longfordleader.ie)
  • chargeHe was arraigned on 15 counts of sexual assault (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe jury convicted him of a single count of forcing the girl to touch his penis on a date between May 1, 2006 and August 31, 2006. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe jury could not agree on 14 other charges of a similar nature. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe appeal was dismissed by a three-judge court on Friday, 24 February 2023. (longfordleader.ie, leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtMs Justice Ní Raifeartaigh said the corroboration warning was unusually strong and had been repeated four times during the trial. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe judge noted the jury's inability to agree on 14 charges showed they were alive to contradictory evidence. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe sentence was imposed at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Criminal Court (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe jury convicted him of a single count of forcing the girl to touch his penis (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe jury could not agree on 14 other charges (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe judges on the appeal were Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Mr Justice George Birmingham, and Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe corroboration warning was repeated four times during the trial (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • courtThe trial judge noted troubling features in the evidence (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • sentenceThe man was jailed for four years and 10 months by Judge Francis Comerford at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Criminal Court in September 2021. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherThe girl told specialist interviewers and gardaí the abuse happened when she was 10 or 11 years old. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherAt trial the girl said the abuse happened around the time of her uncle's death, which was when she was actually seven years old. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherThe man is 49 years old and a father of seven (leitrimobserver.ie)
  • otherDefence counsel was Patrick McGrath SC (leitrimobserver.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 25 Feb2023
    In courtleitrimobserver.ie, follow-up
    Leitrim father-of-seven jailed for sexually abusing his young daughter has conviction appeal dismissed

    Reports the dismissal of the father's appeal against his single-count sexual assault conviction, with the three-judge court finding no exceptional inconsistency in the victim's evidence and the corroboration warning to be adequate.

    convicted, 49, malevictim, female
  2. 24 Feb2023
    Convictedlongfordleader.ie, follow-up
    Leitrim father-of-seven jailed for sexually abusing his young daughter has conviction appeal dismissed

    Appeal against the single-count conviction dismissed; four-year and ten-month sentence from September 2021 upheld. The jury had been unable to agree on 14 further charges.

    convicted, 49, malevictim, female