"Predator" father (78) jailed for repeated rape of daughter

A 78-year-old man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court following his guilty plea to five sample charges of rape. The offences occurred between 1973 and 1974 at a family home in County Mayo, perpetrated against his daughter when she was between nine and twelve years old. The woman, now 54, reported the abuse to gardaí in 2015 after decades of silence. In her victim impact statement, she described how the repeated assaults had damaged her relationships and caused lasting trauma. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the sentence, noting it was substantially reduced from what would otherwise have been imposed due to the accused's advanced age and poor health. The judge acknowledged the depravity inherent in such offences whilst balancing mitigating factors including the man's immediate admission and remorse upon arrest. The sentence was backdated to May when he entered custody.