A Tipperary man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexually abusing and raping his three daughters in their Dublin home over an 18 year period.
The 50 year old man, who cannot be named to protect the victims identity was found guilty on 75 charges at a trial in March.
This morning at the Central Criminal Court, Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan proclaimed he had exploited weak and defenceless children. She declared the man a sex offender and praised the victims as “persons of very great courage and determination”.
She said the offences would frequently be accompanied by violence of threats of violence. Ms Justice Heneghan described them as “vile acts” which were carried out within the family home, a place were innocent children should have security, care and love. Heneghan said the man “had preyed upon each of these girls for his own satisfaction”.
The judge said that the man had showed no remorse and that the crime was planned and pre meditated.
She noted that the defence said his wife still stands by him.
Ms Heneghan said he had shattered their lives when they were vulnerable, deprived them of a normal family life, controlled them, robbed them of their innocence, inflicted pain, deprived them of their education and turned their family against them.
She also quoted the eldest daughter’s victim impact statement who is now 29 and was first sexually abused when she was 9, it said “the extent of the damage caused is immeasurable”.
The second daughter, now 27, was abused from the age of 10 until she was 14.
The youngest daughter, now 24, was abused from the age of 11 until she as 13.