Man jailed for repeated sexual assaults on babysitter has jail term cut on appeal

A Roscommon man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl employed as a babysitter has had his sentence reduced on appeal. Michael King, aged 53 and resident of Warren View, Boyle, was originally sentenced to five and a half years imprisonment by Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court in May 2023 following his conviction on twelve counts of sexual assault. The Court of Appeal has now reduced his term by fifteen months. King had pleaded not guilty but was unanimously convicted by jury of all charges relating to offences against a girl aged 16, committed over a nine-month period ending in September 2005. The Court of Appeal found the trial judge erred in imposing consecutive sentences, determining the cumulative headline sentence of ten and a half years was excessive. The court re-sentenced King to five years imprisonment with the final nine months suspended. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy cited mitigating factors including the passage of time since the offences and King's subsequent pro-social conduct, though noting the absence of a guilty plea.