Donegal man jailed for rape and abuse of partner's daughter

A 52-year-old man from Donegal has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the rape and sexual assault of his former partner's daughter over a five-year period. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed concurrent sentences of eight years for rape, seven years for each count of sexual assault, and seven years for producing child pornography. The man pleaded guilty on the scheduled trial date in April to one count of rape occurring in 2006 when the victim was four years old, six further counts of sexual assault between 2008 and 2011, and one count of child pornography production. A video recording discovered during a separate investigation provided evidence in the case. The now teenage victim provided a detailed account to gardaí detailing abuse that typically occurred during overnight weekend visits. The abuse came to light in 2014 following concerns raised by the victim's school principal. The man has been registered as a sex offender and is subject to five years post-release supervision with conditions prohibiting contact with the victim.