Son abused by his father from the age of 5 appeals for leniency in Cork court

A 70-year-old man will have to serve another two years and four months on top of another sentence for the sexual abuse of his youngest son when the boy was aged between 5 and 9.

Judge Fiona O’Sullivan imposed a consecutive sentence of three years and six months with one year and two months of that suspended, in a case where the victim and the defendant’s other children wrote letters to the judge asking for leniency for their father.

While the victim – who is now in his mid-twenties – presented his victim impact statement where he told the accused he was his father in name only, and that his sexual abuse had seriously impacted his life, the young man also presented another document to the court, namely a letter written to the sentencing judge appealing for leniency.

The defendant is serving a sentence for sexually assaulting a girl who was no relation of his when she was around eight. This next sentence will commence at the expiration of that sentence.

Judge O’Sullivan was told that the sexual assaults in the present case involved the defendant putting his hand to his son’s anus as part of what he told his son was a game, which he played with him after the child’s bath on regular occasions from the age of five to the age of nine.

Letters were written by the defendant’s adult children, including the victim, where they asked for leniency for their father. Concern was expressed about the decline in his health while serving his present sentence for the sexual assault of the girl.

Some of the letters referred to the defendant’s expressions of remorse and his prayers for forgiveness. Some referred to the fact that he will never be allowed to be a grandfather to his grandchildren. 

Mr Creed said the 70-year-old plans to live a long distance from Cork when his time in custody ends. One of his adult children said: 

“I don’t forgive or forget what he has done but I do love him – we all do.” 

The defendant had pleaded not guilty and presented his actions with his son as horseplay. A jury were unanimous in finding that the actions were sexual assault. Defence senior counsel Tom Creed said the accused accepted the jury verdicts.

The victim said: “You are nothing to do with me. You have the title of father but that is all you have. You abused me. That is not what you are supposed to do. You took (my sense of security) away for whatever feeling of satisfaction you got from what you did to me … You tore this family apart at times.” 

However, the victim said that he was glad to receive a letter from his father when the sentencing evidence was given on November 18 in which the 70-year-old apologised for what he did.

Judge O’Sullivan said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that there was is a legal prohibition on identification of the parties.

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