A man who forced his stepdaughter to watch while he raped her mother has been jailed for 10 and a half years.
The 54-year-old was convicted earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court of offences including sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a child, oral rape, assault causing harm and making threats to kill against his stepdaughter.
He was further convicted of offences against his wife, including rape, oral rape, assault causing harm, assault causing serious harm and making a threat. All of the offences took place at the family home in Co Tipperary.
The man cannot be named to protect the anonymity of his victims. The court heard he did not accept the verdicts of the jury.
Imposing sentence on Thursday, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said it was an aggravating feature the incidents took place in the victims’ home and they were “afraid to breathe a word of these events to anyone”.
The judge said forcing the stepdaughter to watch the rape of her mother, the threats of violence and the use of an axe in one incident were also aggravating.
She said the mitigation includes the man’s work history and that he is a foreign national with limited English.
The judge imposed a global sentence of 12 years and a half years with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, after taking the mitigation into account.
She directed the man to have no contact with either victim for life unless they request it. He must also place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service upon release.