Man jailed for sexual abuse of younger cousin who 'idolised' him

By Isabel Hayes

A young man who engaged in the prolonged sexual abuse of his younger cousin who “idolised” and looked up to him, has been jailed for six years.

The 24-year-old Dublin man, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of the victim, pleaded guilty to 19 counts of sexually abusing the boy on dates between September 2023 and December 2024.

The child was aged between eight and nine years old at the time, while the man was in his early twenties.

After the boy disclosed the abuse to his parents in January 2025, the man's family contacted gardaí, and he made a voluntary statement to gardaí in which he outlined a number of occasions when he abused the child, a local detective garda told Lalita Morgan Pillay BL, prosecuting.

The court heard the families were close and spent a lot of time together, including holidaying together. Their mothers are sisters, and the boy's mother is the defendant's godmother.

The man admitted to gardaí that he knew what he was doing to his cousin was wrong and illegal. He said he felt he was a “monster” but that he was also “conflicted”.

The court heard the abuse started with hugs and kisses, then progressed to inappropriate touching of the boy and escalated to the man performing oral sex on the child.

The abuse occurred at family celebrations and occasions such as Halloween and Christmas. It is an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. The man has no previous convictions.

The detective said the little boy looked up to his older cousin and “idolised” him.

In an emotional victim impact statement, which she read out in court, the boy's mother described how the day the boy confided in them about the abuse was “the day all innocence left our family home”.

“Our nine-year-old son came to tell us unimaginable things had been done to him by a close family member - my godson and nephew, my son's cousin who he idolised, someone we trusted,” she said.

“It was like a bomb had gone off in our lives. Our life as we know it has been shattered into a million pieces.”

She said most of the abuse of her son took place in his cousin's home and often during family events when other family members were present - “What should have been the safest place on Earth”.

She said the effect of the abuse on her son has been profound and that in the immediate aftermath, he was understandably angry and upset. He struggles to be alone at night. “My abiding memory is sitting on his bedroom floor, holding my son as he cried and I cried,” she said.

She said when asked to describe the effect the abuse had on him for the court, the boy said: “angry, unhappy, sad, betrayed, frustrated.”

She said they don't know how it will affect his future, particularly in terms of relationships and his mental health. “This is a life sentence,” she said. “It will always be there, it will never go away.”

She said she and her husband are shells of who they used to be. “We are beyond broken and feel utterly betrayed to the core by someone we loved and trusted, who we obviously never really knew at all.”

She said she is now estranged from her sister, and it has affected her relationship with other family members. “We were isolated and alone in the hardest time of our lives.”

She said she wished she could end the statement by saying they were hoping to move on with their lives, but instead they are left “broken” and “hopeless”.

Brian Gageby BL, defending, asked the judge to take into account that the abuse was “not reciprocal” for the defendant and that most of the detail of the offending came from his own admissions to gardaí.

Two letters of apology were handed into court, but not read aloud, as the child's family did not wish to receive them.

The man entered guilty pleas at the earliest stage, the court heard. His family supports him and accompanied him to court, but they waited outside the court room during the sentence hearing, defence counsel said.

The court heard the man alleges he was sexually abused by a number of perpetrators when he was a child. No report was made to gardaí.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Elma Sheahan said this was a “particularly sad case”.

She said the boy was repeatedly abused in a most “egregious” manner by someone he should have been able to rely upon to care for him and in a place where he should have been safest.

She said that as well as the abuse having a profound effect on the boy, it also had an impact on the wider family, which had previous been close-knit.

She said the harm caused was not only to the boy “but to those who love and care for him”. “The fears for the impact it may have on (him) in the future are totally understandable,” she said.

The judge said the case involved a serious breach of trust, given the close family relationship, the access he had to the boy as a result of this relationship and the age disparity between them.

In mitigation, she noted that the man came forward with guilty pleas from the District Court, which avoided the boy and his family having to go through a trial. She took into account the fact the man has no previous convictions, a good work history and some third level education.

She handed down a sentence of seven years and suspended the final year on a number of conditions, including that the man engage with the Probation Service.

She thanked the boy's family for the dignity they had shown during the court process and wished them well in the future.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.