A young teenager who raped a nine-year-old relative almost a decade ago has been jailed for four years.
The man (23), who can't be named to protect the identity of his victim, pleaded guilty to one count of rape on an unknown date in March 2014. He was aged 13 at the time, while the victim, who is a relative of his, was then nine.
He was handed a separate three-and-a-half year sentence by the Central Criminal Court in July this year, after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a different female cousin between 2013 and 2018. That victim was aged between six and 11 at the time of the abuse.
Imposing sentence on Monday, Ms Justice Ellen Ring noted that this rape occurred during the period when the teenager was also sexually abusing his young cousin.
Aggravating factors
She said the aggravating factors included the victim's age, the age difference between her and the defendant, and that he was abusing another relative at that time.
She also noted the breach of trust and the “predatory nature of the abuse” carried out by the man.
She said the man was “well aware that his actions were not just wrong, but very wrong”.
Ms Justice Ring said she would have set a headline sentence of 11 years if the offence had been committed by an adult, which she reduced to six years due to the defendant's age at the time of offending.
She imposed a sentence of five years and suspended the final year on strict conditions including that the man place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for two years post-release. She backdated the sentence to July 17th last, when he entered a guilty plea.
The court heard that the teenager, the girl and two others were playing truth or dare. The defendant persuaded the other two to leave him alone with the victim. He then raped her.
The victim did not report what happened until 2019 as she felt guilty and that the family would blame her and stop speaking to her.
The defendant was interviewed by gardaí in August 2019, but nothing of evidential value was obtained. He was charged in 2020 and initially took a trial date.
It was indicated to the prosecution when he was sentenced for the sexual assault of his cousin that he would not contest the trial in this case. A guilty plea was later entered.
Victim impact statement
In her victim impact statement, the girl described the defendant as a “cold, calculating predator” who used her for his own pleasure. She said the teenager threatened her that her mother would stop loving her if she told anyone.
She said this incident had damaged her emotionally, physically and mentally.
The girl said she felt shame due to the man's actions and did not ask for help because of this. Through counselling, she has now recognised that she should not feel ashamed.
She noted that the extended family had been close, but felt her family were treated as if they had done something wrong when the abuse came to light.
Ms Justice Ring said the girl had displayed “immense courage” and wished her well in the future.
Ms Justice Ring said the mitigating factors included the man's young age at the time and his guilty plea, though it was late.
She noted the boy was exposed to adult pornography when he was 12, and it was “worrying” that he stated the victim was the only female he had access to and did not consider the harmful or long- term effects of his actions on her.
She said the man had raped the girl because she was “available to him”.
She noted the probation report puts him at medium risk of re-offending, but that this report and a psychological report was written for the previous sentence and considered one victim, not two.
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.
