A man who repeatedly sexually abused a young girl in his home has been jailed for six years.
Edward Cruise (66) with an address in Raheny, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to nine sample counts of sexual assault.
The girl was aged between six and 14 when the abuse occurred between 2009 and 2017.
A local garda told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that the victim became friendly with a close relative of Cruise's, who would stay with him for two weeks during summer holidays and at other times of the year.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the abuse began the first time the young girl went to Cruise's house and occurred whenever she was at the property, often multiple times in one day.
This relative would also stay with Cruise during other holiday periods and when the victim visited, Cruise sexually abused her, up to 15 times a day.
The abuse included inappropriate touching over and under her clothes, masturbation and oral sex. Cruise told her to keep the abuse secret and on one occasion, offered her €5 to come to his house.
The girl made a complaint to gardaí in 2020. Cruise was arrested and when interviewed, suggested the victim had fabricated the allegations “out of spite”.
After hearing facts on Thursday, Judge Martin Nolan handed Cruise a global sentence of six years.
He said the victim was only six years’ old when the abuse started and should have been protected from this type of behaviour.
“To some degree she trusted this defendant. He was a grandfather at the time and I think she was entitled to trust him,” the judge said, adding that Cruise had abused that trust.
Victim impact statement
A victim impact statement was handed to the court, but not read aloud. In response to a query from Judge Nolan, the garda said it was “too difficult” to estimate how often the victim was abused by Cruise.
Judge Nolan said the court would have to infer from the evidence that the abuse took place dozens or hundreds of times.
Cruise has a number of previous convictions, including two for indecent assault and four for sexual assault dating back to the early 1990s, for which he received a six-month sentence.
The garda agreed with Dean Kelly SC, defending, that his client appears older than his years and has a low level of intellectual functioning. It was further accepted that his living conditions are very basic.
The garda also agreed that while Cruise told the victim not to tell anyone, there is no suggestion that threats were made. It was further accepted that the offending only took place when his relative was visiting and that he has no other matters before the courts.
Mr Kelly outlined to the court his client's personal circumstances and that he suffered physical violence in the home as a child.
He said Cruise spent time in hospital as a child and his poor health has continued into adulthood. Mr Kelly said Cruise will find prison a more difficult experience due to his ill health.
Cruise is divorced, has two children and is a grandfather. He has a good work history.
Mr Kelly asked the court to take into consideration his client's guilty plea and that there was no violence or threat of violence beyond that inherent in the act itself.
Judge Nolan said Cruise sexually abused the victim “over a prolonged period” of years even if it was confided to holiday periods.
“When she was in that house, she was abused on a continuous basis by this defendant,” Judge Nolan said, suggesting that a “very conservative” estimate would be at least 100 times.
He noted the mitigating features of the case including Cruise's guilty plea, his expressions of remorse and shame, and his age.
Judge Nolan said the court considers Cruise is probably unlikely to reoffend, but said that his previous convictions for similar offending are an aggravating factor.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
