Thursday 5 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. 29845Rape (childhood sexual abuse) · Co. Dublin · 1 Jan 1979

Man sentenced for childhood rape of sister in Dublin

A man, now 56, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after being convicted of 11 counts of raping his sister at their family home in Dublin between 1979 and 1982. The victim was nine and the accused was 14 when the first offence occurred, and the abuse escalated from touching to rape over three years, with violence used throughout. The woman made a complaint to gardaí in 2015 and the man was arrested later that year. He was tried at the Central Criminal Court in July 2021, where Justice Deirdre Murphy sentenced him as a juvenile, noting that an adult would have faced a headline sentence of 10 to 12 years.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced1 Oct
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • The victim was 9 and the accused was 14 when the first rape occurred, and the abuse escalated from touching to masturbation and then to rape over three years.
  • Violence was used during the offences, including hitting, putting her arms behind her back, trying to break her fingers, and hitting her head against the wall.
Where
The offences took place at the family home in Dublin.
When
The offences occurred on a regular basis between 1979 and 1982.
Investigation
The injured party made a complaint to gardaí in 2015 and the accused was arrested later that year.
Charges
The man was convicted of 11 counts of raping his sister.
In court
The trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in July 2021 before Justice Deirdre Murphy.
Sentence
  • The man was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, backdated to when he first went into custody in July 2021.
  • The judge noted that had the accused been an adult she would have set a headline sentence of 10 to 12 years, but sentenced him as a juvenile as he was aged between 14 and 16.
Other details
The man has no previous convictions and denied the allegations when interviewed by gardaí.
20 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe victim was 9 and the brother was 14 when the first rape occurred. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatThe abuse escalated from touching to masturbation and progressed to rape. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatViolence was used by the accused during the offences. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatThe brother would hit her, put her arms behind her back, try to break her fingers and hit her head off the wall. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatThe accused man was four years older than his sister. (thejournal.ie)
  • whereThe offences took place at their family home in Dublin. (thejournal.ie)
  • whenThe offences occurred on dates between 1979 and 1982. (thejournal.ie)
  • whenThe rape took place on a regular basis over the next three years, ending in 1982. (thejournal.ie)
  • investigationThe injured party made a complaint to gardaí in 2015. (thejournal.ie)
  • investigationThe accused was arrested later in 2015. (thejournal.ie)
  • chargeHe was convicted of 11 counts of raping his sister. (thejournal.ie)
  • courtThe trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in July 2021. (thejournal.ie)
  • courtJustice Deirdre Murphy sentenced the man. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe man was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge said had he been an adult, she would have set a headline sentence of 10 to 12 years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceShe sentenced him as a juvenile because he was aged between 14 and 16. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge handed down a headline sentence of five years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe sentence was backdated to when the man first went into custody in July 2021. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherThe man has no previous convictions. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherHe denied the allegations when interviewed by gardaí. (thejournal.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 1 Oct2021
    Sentencedthejournal.ie, first report
    Man (56) jailed for almost four years for childhood rape of sister

    Reports the sentencing of the convicted man to three years and nine months in prison, with details of the judge's reasoning, the victim impact statement, and the defence's apology.

    convicted, 56, malevictim, female