Man jailed for rape of teenager - The Munster Express

Man jailed for rape of teenager News The Munster Express

A man was jailed recently for the rape and sexual assault of a teenager in the south east.

The man, aged in his 50s, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim involved. He appeared before Ms. Justice Caroline Biggs for a sentencing hearing at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Waterford at the end of last month.

It was heard that he was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and two counts of rape of a 13-year old girl following a jury trial held in July 2026. The offences occurred on a date in late 2025 at a residence in the south east.

Detective Garda Sharon Dempsey told Prosecuting barrister Marc Thompson Grolimund SC that on the day, the girl was staying overnight at a relative’s house along with her mother and other members of her family.

The defendant was described as a friend of the girl’s family who she knew ‘forever’ as he was ‘always around’.

He went out that night with her mother and others, before they returned to the house at 1.00 am. The defendant stayed over and was directed to sleep on a couch downstairs.

Det. Garda Dempsey told the court that the girl was sleeping upstairs and went down to get a glass of water. The man came up behind her in the kitchen and started ‘touching’ her chest and bottom, before leading her into the sitting room. This was when the defendant guided her to kneel between his legs, before orally raping her. She left and went back upstairs as she couldn’t breathe, Det. Garda Dempsey said.

During the trial, the girl told the jury that she did not scream or call for help as she ‘froze’ and was in fear at the time.

The man followed the girl upstairs into the room she was staying in. He pushed her onto the bed, took off her trousers, and undressed himself. The defendant told the girl “someday you will be mine” before he raped her and told her not to tell anyone.

The rape was reported to Gardaí a few weeks later after the girl’s mother became concerned when checking her phone, and found that she had searched terms such as ‘missing period’, ‘pregnancy’ and ‘abortion’.

The defendant was arrested and denied any wrongdoing. He told Gardaí it never happened and that he was previously involved with the girl’s mother, stating that it was their “motivation to lie” as he had previously declined to move in with her.

It was noted in court that the defendant was on bail until his conviction, and was ‘fully compliant’ with bail conditions at all times.

He has no relevant previous convictions but has appeared in court for public order offences and an incident of assault causing harm, which he received a suspended sentence for in 2013.

A victim impact statement from the girl, who was not present in court, was read out by Mr. Thompson Grolimund. In her statement, she said she’s “not the same happy little girl” as she was before the rape, and has since “turned to drink” as a coping mechanism.

The girl described feeling angry, lost, and unable to sleep at night.

“My mammy is trying really hard to get me back. I feel like it’s better if I’m dead, I don’t think the old me will come back,” she said in her victim impact statement.

Acting for the defendant, barrister Colman Cody SC said there was ‘no violence involved’ in the rape, and it went on for a ‘particularly short’ period of time. Mr Cody told the court that the offending was ‘opportunistic’ rather than ‘premeditated.’

The barrister added that his client has no relevant previous convictions, and has a ‘sporadic’ work history. Members of his family, including his adult children and siblings continue to support him, as well as his partner, who did not attend court as it was ‘too upsetting’, Mr. Cody said.

Mr. Cody added that the defendant has previously bought food to donate to homeless people, describing this as something that speaks to the ‘positive’ aspects of his character.

The barrister stated that his client continues to maintain innocence and ‘does not accept’ the jury’s verdict. He concluded by asking Ms. Justice Biggs to be as “lenient as possible” in imposing a sentence as prison will be ‘particularly difficult’ for someone such as the defendant, due to his age and the fact he has had liberty for “most of his life.”

The judge said aggravating factors in the case were the girl’s age, which is a ‘vulnerable’ time due to going through puberty, and the “breach of trust” from the defendant as he was a guest in the house that night.

Ms. Justice Biggs said it was ‘appalling’ for the defendant to have told her “one day you will be mine” and not to tell anyone, indicating that even if he consumed alcohol, “he knew what he was doing.”

The judge added that it was ‘abhorrent’ and he caused the victim to feel ‘extreme fear.’

Ms. Justice Biggs referenced the victim impact statement from the girl, who said her life has ‘changed forever’, that she can’t sleep, and “doesn’t feel safe.”

This was damage caused by the defendant for his own “perverse sexual gratification,” the judge said.

In mitigation, the judge acknowledged that this will be the defendant’s first time in prison, and that he is “older than most.”

She also recognised that he was bail compliant, as well as the impact this will have on his family, who are supportive of him.

Ms. Justice Biggs set a headline sentence of 11 years and nine years for each of the counts of rape, and six years for the sexual assault charge. She reduced each charge by two years in mitigation, leaving sentences of nine, seven, and four years, all to run concurrently with each other.

The judge directed the defendant to engage with the Probation Service for supervision for three years following his release. Ms. Justice Biggs also made an order for Túsla to engage with the family of the victim to ensure she receives mental health treatment.

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