Seven-year sentence upheld for abuse of three sisters

A County Mayo man has failed in his appeal against a seven-year prison sentence imposed for the sexual abuse of three sisters over an eighteen-year period. The 65-year-old, whose identity is protected to safeguard the victims' anonymity, was convicted in October 2017 by jury at Mayo Circuit Criminal Court on nineteen counts of indecent assault against one sister and one count each against her two siblings. The abuse began in 1976 when the victims were aged between nine and twelve years old, with the final incident occurring in 1994. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice John Edwards, had previously upheld the conviction. In today's ruling on the sentence appeal, the court found the seven-year concurrent sentence was both just and appropriate, adequately reflecting the gravity of the offending. The judges expressed satisfaction that no error had been made in sentencing and dismissed the appeal.