Man who raped teen girl while lodging in her home given eight-year sentence

Fiona Ferguson

A man who raped a teenage girl while he was a lodger in her home has received a prison sentence of eight years, with one suspended.

The Central Criminal Court heard that the man was aged between 25 and 28 years old, and the girl was aged between 11 and 14 years old at the time the rape took place.

The 49-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect his victim's identity, was convicted by a jury following a trial of raping the girl at her home on a date between 2001 and 2005. He had denied the charge.

He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since his conviction in May.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said that the aggravating facts in the case were the large age gap, the breach of trust on the part of a trusted lodger in the house and the use of alcohol when the victim was a very young age.

Mr Justice McGrath suspended the final year of an eight year custodial term on condition that the man keep the peace and be of good behaviour and engage with the Probation Service for two years after his release.

He commended the victim for the manner in which she gave her evidence during the trial and wished her well.

A prosecuting garda told Paul Carroll SC, prosecuting, that the girl lived with relatives following the death of her mother and the accused man later became a lodger in the house. The court heard she had an “uncle type relationship” with him.

The garda said the woman recalled an incident where she had awoken with the defendant on top of her raping her. She said he got off her after she asked what he was doing, but she was left with feelings of blame, guilt, and shame.

She later attended counselling and disclosed the matter then. The defendant was arrested and denied any sexual wrongdoing.

He accepted he had been earlier confronted by text message by the woman’s boyfriend but explained away his replies and said they were not admissions.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said the rape had severe and long lasting consequences on her life.

She said the trial had been very painful for her and said the least the defendant could have done was face up to what he had done and not subject them to a trial. She said the case was won but she remained lost.

She said she was strong despite her trauma and will survive, but this should never have happened to her.

Kieran Kelly BL, defending, said testimonials handed into court describe the man as a caring, loving, respectful person and the writers find him to be kind and gentle, with the offence “out of character".

He outlined the man’s work history and that he had been seen as “an uncle” of the family after he moved in. He said the man’s relationship has been affected by charges and trial.

He suggested there were no aggravating factors involved, he said there was a position of trust but no aggression or false imprisonment. He asked the court to be as lenient as it could.

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.