A man who raped a young girl and sexually assaulted her sister has been jailed for 11 years.
Hamed Azeez (53), of Mac Uilliam Dale, Tallaght, Dublin, was convicted following a Central Criminal Court trial in March of one count of rape and three counts of sexually assaulting the first victim, who was then aged between six and eight.
He was also found guilty of two counts of sexual assault in relation to the first victim's sister, who was eight to 10 at the time of the offending.
The offending occurred on dates between 2013 and 2015 at locations in Co Dublin.
Both women have indicated they wish Azeez to be named, but want to retain their anonymity.
Imposing the sentence on Monday, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said Azeez had been in a long-term relationship with the girls’ mother, and the offending occurred while they were in his care and he was in a position of trust.
He is no longer in a relationship with their mother, the court heard.
Ms Justice Creedon said when considering the impacts on the victims, as outlined in their victim impact statements, she was struck by their young age, the impact the abuse had on both of them and how it damaged one of the girls’ relationships with her mother.
She took into account that Azeez does not accept the verdict and maintains his innocence. He insists that the allegations are false claims motivated by their mother’s desire to ruin his reputation.
Ms Justice Creedon set a headline sentence of 12 years for the rape offence and eight years for the sexual assault offences.
She said there was very little mitigation as Azeez does not accept the verdict of the jury, nor has he offered an apology or acknowledged the harm he did to both women. It was accepted he was generally co-operative with the Garda investigation.
Ms Justice Creedon reduced each sentence by one year before she imposed concurrent sentences of 11 years and seven years. She said Azeez should be registered as a sex offender.
Abuse
A local garda previously gave evidence that Azeez was then the partner of the girls' mother and was effectively in loco parentis of the girls due to this relationship.
He raped the first victim on a counter at his home. The girl said it did not last long, and recalled there were other children playing nearby outside.
Azeez also sexually assaulted this girl by touching her inappropriately. The court heard these incidents began as horseplay and often occurred under a blanket.
One incident took place in the man's car, where he touched her on the genital area after picking her up from school.
The man also touched the girl's sister inappropriately on the breasts and buttocks.
The allegations were later reported to gardaí, and Azeez denied any wrongdoing when he was interviewed.
Victim impact statements were read to the court by prosecuting counsel.
The first complainant said: “The pain you caused will stay with me forever”, describing how her life had changed.
She said Azeez's actions mean she no longer feels safe in the company of older men and outlined feelings of fear and unease.
She said his actions had also damaged her relationship with her mother, whom she blames for what happened. She said there is “always a wall between us” and it is “painful to know our bond is broken and may never heal because she brought [the man] into our life”.
The second complainant said she is not just a victim of sexual assault, but a survivor, and outlined feelings of anxiety, pain and despair.
She said she distanced herself from loved ones because she was “unwilling to express the extent of my suffering for fear of being disregarded or misunderstood”.
She said she “couldn't shake the feeling that if I'd known what sexual assault was sooner, my sister and I wouldn't have had to endure the harm we did.”
She said this thought led to “self-loathing” as she wondered what she could have done to protect herself and her sister.
But the young woman wrote that she is now stronger after pulling herself out of the depths of trauma and will continue her journey towards healing.
“I believe my words will assist anyone who has endured the atrocities of childhood sexual abuse,” she added.
The court heard Azeez moved to Ireland in 2000 and has a long work history.
The investigating garda agreed with Maurice Coffey SC, defending, that his client's previous convictions date back over 20 years, and he was co-operative with the criminal process.
Mr Coffey asked the court to take into consideration Azeez’s history and personal circumstances as outlined in a probation report.
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.
