Father jailed at Derry Court for 18 months for sexually abusing daughter from age 11

A father has been jailed at Derry Crown Court for 18 months for the sexual abuse of his daughter over a four year period which began when the child was 11-years-old.

The forty seven years old abuser who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of his daughter was found unanimously guilty following a trial in October of four of the twelve charges he faced. He was unanimously acquitted of eight other similar charges.

A prosecution barrister told Judge Roseanne McCormick KC that the accused did not accept the verdict of the jury.

The abuse was described as ‘premeditated predatory abuse of his prepubescent daughter for his personal sexual gratification’.

A probation report into the defendant’s offending stated “he cannot manage his sexual urges appropriately “ and added “he has deviant sexual preferences “

The October trial was told the abuse occurred in the home of the defendant’s parents.

Judge McCormick said the defendant maintained he’d been ‘threatened by members of the community’ and he only left his bail address ‘under darkness’.

The court heard that after his prison release the defendant ‘may have to leave Derry’.

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She said it was highly culpable high risk offending in the victim’s grandparents home which has left the victim in a constant state of confusion and which has had an enduring impact on her.

Judge McCormick said it was a significant breach of trust involving a vulnerable victim.

As well as jailing the abuser for eighteen months Judge McCormick also placed him on the Sex Offences Register for ten years and imposed a Restraining Order and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order both for five years.