A Tipperary man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting his special needs daughter in their family home.
The man – who cannot be named to protect the identity of his now 30-year-old daughter – was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury last July.
The Central Criminal Court heard that the man twice raped his daughter in her bedroom when she was 22 years old after he asked her if she loved him or her mother more.
He sexually assaulted her on that same occasion.
He also sexually assaulted her and made her perform oral sex on him when she was 13 or 14 years old and while she was sleeping in the same bed as her friend.
The 56-year-old Tipperary man was convicted on five charges on dates between January 2003 and December 2004 and on a separate occasion in January 2011.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said the man still “steadfastly” denies the allegations and the fact that he has not accepted the jury’s verdict means that he has never acknowledged the hurt he caused his daughter.
The judge noted that the man claimed his daughter’s motivation to make up false allegations was “revenge and jealousy”.
Ms Justice Creedon registered the man a sex offender and suspended the final year of the 12 year sentence on strict conditions.
