Man who abused and filmed step-daughter with spy camera has jail sentence reduced

A Dublin man has had his jail sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal after challenging a conviction for sexually abusing his step-daughter and recording her with a hidden camera. The 51-year-old man, whose identity is protected to safeguard his victim, had appealed against a six-year sentence imposed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July 2020. He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his step-daughter when she was aged 11, producing and distributing child abuse material between 2015 and 2016. Gardaí discovered the offences following a search of a Donegal address, where a tablet contained images and videos recorded using a spy camera in a bathroom, alongside explicit communications. The Court of Appeal, presiding with Mr Justice George Birmingham, reduced the sentence for the child abuse material offences to five years and six months, a reduction of six months. The original three-year sentence for sexual assault remained unchanged. The court imposed a six-year post-release supervision order with a requirement for psychological counselling.