Abuser fails in bid to overturn conviction for assaults on neighbouring sisters

A man from County Mayo has unsuccessfully appealed his conviction for sexually assaulting three sisters over an eighteen-year period beginning in 1976. He was found guilty by a Mayo Circuit Criminal Court jury in October 2017 on nineteen counts of indecent assault against one sister and one count each against her two siblings. The trial heard that the abuse began when the victims were aged between nine and twelve years old. He received concurrent prison sentences totalling seven years. On appeal, his counsel argued that the trial judge erred in refusing to sever the indictment, contending the three separate complaints should not have been heard together as they lacked the striking similarities required. The Court of Appeal, however, determined that the trial judge correctly admitted all counts simultaneously, identifying significant common features across the allegations including the victims' ages, familial connection, and methods of abuse. The court dismissed the appeal.