Derry Crown Court: Man (74) jailed for 'escalating campaign of sexual abuse' on his then step daughter

A 74-year-old man has been jailed for 10 years at Derry Crown Court for what was described as an 'escalating campaign of sexual abuse' on his then step daughter.

The man who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim in the case admitted a total of 21 charges against the woman who was aged between 13 and 17 at the time.

The charges include three rapes, 14 indecent assaults, two charges of inciting a child to commit a sexual act and two of common assault.

All of the charges occurred between August 4 1984 and August 5 1989.

The court heard that the offending began by the man forcing the child to watch pornographic videos and then escalated into touching and then rape.

The defendant was in a relationship with the girl's mother at the time and when the victim was aged 14 her mother was diagnosed with cancer and she died when the girl was 15-years-old but the court heard the offending continued.

Judge Philip Babington said the victim was raped 'on multiple occasions' during the period of offending.

When she came forward and told police what had occurred the defendant claimed that there had been a consensual relationship after she had reached 18.

This, the judge said, was 'particularly untrue' as evidenced by the defendant's guilty plea.

The judge said that a pre-sentence report on the defendant showed a lack on insight into his offending.

He said he hoped the guilty plea and subsequent sentence would help the victim get 'some sort of closure.'

Judge Babington said this was 'a campaign of sexual abuse over a number of years on a young and vulnerable child.'

He said there was also an element of violence used and said it was 'a gross violation of trust' made worse by the fact the victim's mother died during the period of offending.

Judge Babington said it was 'horrific escalating offending' and due to the violence used showed the defendant was 'a bully as well as a sexual abuser.'

He sentenced the man to 10 years in prison followed by two years on probation, ordered him to sign the Sex Offender's Register for an indefinite period and imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order also for an indefinite period.

He also imposed a Restraining Order for a period of ten years which prohibits the defendant having any contact with the victim and also bans him from entering a specific area of Derry.