Wednesday 28 October 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. 0469Rape, attempted rape, sexual assault · Co. Wexford

Man jailed for 11.5 years for rape and abuse of stepdaughter aged 6 to 12 in Co Wexford

A man, described as 47 in some reports and 55 in others, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in July 2026 for the rape and sexual abuse of his stepdaughter, who was aged between 6 and 12, at locations in Co Wexford between 2007 and 2013. He also drugged his daughter and her friends with vodka and pills during sleepovers and raped a 15-year-old friend during a game of hide and seek in the woods. He pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial in October 2025 to two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and seven of sexual assault, and his application to resile from those pleas was refused. The judge imposed a headline sentence of 15 years, reduced to 12 years and nine months with 15 months suspended for two years, backdated to 1 December 2025. The man has no previous convictions.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced30 Jul
    3 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • The man raped and sexually abused his stepdaughter, who was aged between 6 and 12, at locations in Co Wexford between 2007 and 2013.
  • The man drugged his daughter and her friends with vodka and pills he claimed were Motilium but which toxicology tests found to be sleeping pills and muscle relaxants, then raped a 15-year-old friend during a game of hide and seek in the woods.
Where
The offences took place at the man's home in Leinster, at locations in Co Wexford, and in his car.
When
The offences occurred between 2007 and 2013, with the abuse stopping for some time before restarting in 2010.
Investigation
Gardaí seized the man's phone and found an encrypted vault containing 827 child abuse images and 71 videos, including 18 images of him raping the 15-year-old while she was unconscious.
Charges
He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and seven of sexual assault, and to eight sample counts pertaining to five victims including child sexual exploitation, child cruelty, and possession of child pornography.
In court
He pleaded guilty on the first day of his Central Criminal Court trial in October 2025, and his application to resile from those pleas was refused.
Sentence
The judge imposed a headline sentence of 15 years, reduced to 12 years and nine months with 15 months suspended for two years, backdated to 1 December 2025; other reports describe a global sentence of 17 years with 18 months suspended for five years, equating to 15 years and six months.
Other details
  • The man, described as 47 in some reports and 55 in others, has no previous convictions and was separated from his wife at the time of the offending.
  • The victim suffers from anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
50 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe man drugged his daughter and her friends during a sleepover before raping one of her pals. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe man plied all three girls with vodka drinks. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe pills the man gave the girls, which he said were Motilium, were found by toxicology tests to be sleeping pills and muscle relaxants. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe man brought the girls on various walks to the nearby woods in the early hours of the morning. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe man suggested the trio play hide and seek in the woods, with the third friend hiding, before raping the victim. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe man drugged three girls with vodka and pills he claimed were Motilium but which were sleeping pills and muscle relaxants (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe man raped the 15-year-old victim during a game of hide and seek in the woods (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatAn encrypted vault on the man's phone contained 827 child abuse images and 71 videos (irishmirror.ie)
  • what18 images showed the man raping the 15-year-old at a previous sleepover a week earlier while she was unconscious (irishmirror.ie)
  • what17 images showed the third friend asleep on a couch with her breasts exposed (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe rape victim suffers from anxiety and PTSD since the assaults (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe man is 55 years old (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim was aged between 6 and 12 at the time of the offences (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatIn the first incident, the man woke the girl at night and asked her to play computer games (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatHe put her hand on his penis and forced her to masturbate him (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatHe would buy the girl toys and sweets as gifts (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatHe attempted to rape her when she was about six years old, which caused her pain (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe man turned family members against the victim when she was a teenager (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim experienced depression, suicidal thoughts, and has a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe offences took place at the man's home in Leinster (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe offences took place at locations in Co Wexford (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe abuse also took place in his car (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe offences occurred between June 2024 and July 2025 (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe offences occurred on dates between 2007 and 2013 (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe abuse stopped for some time before restarting in 2010 (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenHe raped her for the first time in 2012 when she woke up to him digitally penetrating her vagina (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationGardaí seized the man's phone from his home and found the encrypted vault (irishmirror.ie)
  • chargeHe admitted one count of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old friend. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe admitted one count of child sexual exploitation by having sexual intercourse in front of another girl. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe admitted one count of child cruelty by drugging the children. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe admitted three counts of possessing child pornography. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe pleaded guilty to eight sample counts pertaining to five victims (irishmirror.ie)
  • chargeHe pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and seven of sexual assault (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe case was heard at the Central Criminal Court (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtJudge Sean Gillane imposed the sentence (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtHe pleaded guilty on the first day of his Central Criminal Court trial in October 2025 (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge imposed a global sentence of 17 years, with the final 18 months suspended for five years on strict conditions including probation supervision. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceThe man was sentenced to 15 years and six months' imprisonment (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe global sentence was 17 years with the final 18 months suspended for five years on strict conditions including probation supervision (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge set a headline sentence of 15 years (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge imposed a sentence of 12 years and 9 months (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentence15 months of the sentence was suspended for two years (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe man must undergo two years of post-release supervision by the Probation Service (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceThe sentence was backdated to December 1, 2025 (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe man has no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe rape victim suffers from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder since the assaults. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe man had no previous convictions (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe man was separated from his wife prior to the offending (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe man was drinking to excess and taking drugs at the time of the offending (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe man cried in the dock during the reading of victim impact statements (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 31 Jul2026
    Sentencedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Man jailed for rape and abuse of stepdaughter when she was aged between 6 and 12

    Sentencing report. The man pleaded guilty on the first day of his Central Criminal Court trial in October 2025, sought to resile but was refused, and was sentenced by Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo in July 2026. Headline sentence of 15 years reduced to 12 years 9 months with 15 months suspended for two years.

    victim, femaleconvicted, 55, male
  2. 30 Jul2026
    Sentencedirishmirror.ie, follow-up
    Dad who raped child's friend in hide & seek and drugged kids at sleepover jailed

    Sentencing report: 47-year-old man jailed for 15 years and 6 months (global 17 years, 18 months suspended) after pleading guilty to eight sample counts involving five victims, including drugging children with vodka and sleeping pills and raping a 15-year-old during a game of hide and seek in the woods.

    convicted, 47, malevictim, 15, femalevictim, femalevictim, femalevictim, femalevictim, 15, female
  3. 30 Jul2026
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Assailant who drugged daughter and friends before raping one jailed for more than 15 years

    Sentencing report: 47-year-old man pleaded guilty to eight sample counts across five victims; Judge Sean Gillane imposed a global sentence of 17 years with 18 months suspended for five years on strict conditions including probation supervision.

    convicted, 47, malevictim, 15, femalevictim, teenage, femalevictim, teenage, femalevictim, femalevictim, female