Kildare man (29) jailed for sexual abuse of young girl

Sonya McLean and Eimear Dodd

A man who sexually abused a young girl who was being minded by his mother has been jailed for three years.

John Glynn (28) pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual assault on dates between 2013 and 2018 at an address in Co. Kildare.

The court heard that the victim wished to waive her right to anonymity to allow Glynn of Carrighill, Calverstown, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, to be named.

Glynn is eight years older than the girl, who was aged between eight and 13 years old at the time of the offending, which took place in his family home.

The court heard the girl was being minded by his mother at the time, and she would occasionally sleep over, with Glynn sexually assaulting her on six occasions when she stayed overnight in the house.

Imposing the sentence on Monday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said it was clear from the evidence that the victim “liked and trusted” Glynn during this period.

She noted the age difference, the victim's vulnerability, the breach of trust and the “profound impact” on the injured party as aggravating features.

Ms Justice Greally said Glynn's offending was “opportunistic” and that he took advantage of the girl when she was “unsupervised and away from her family home”.

Living in fear

Reading her victim impact statement via video link at a previous hearing, the woman outlined psychological effects, including feelings of fear and trust issues.

She said she still lives in fear and expects it may never leave her.

“This is a part of me; I survived. I can say your name, you can't say mine now...I have the power now. You targeted a child to feel like you did [have power], but you never did”.

She said she finds it hard to trust others because she is “living in constant fear”. As a result, she said she has found it hard to form lasting friendships.

“I want to experience life and to move on. I want people to stop looking at me with pity.”

In her sentencing remarks on Monday, Ms Justice Greally said the victim impact statement was an “immensely articulate account of emotional turmoil” suffered by the victim during and since the abuse occurred.

She said the victim's childhood was “full of fear” and “deeply troubled” as a consequence of Glynn's actions. The judge said the court noted the “profound damage” caused to the victim.

The judge wished the victim best for the future, and expressed the hope that “this very dark period is coming to an end [for her] and that there will be much better and more positive days ahead”.

Ms Justice Greally said the court had taken into consideration the contents of probation and psychological reports.

She noted the probation report states Glynn expressed shame for his actions and accepts responsibility but maintains he can't remember what happened due to intoxication, either by drugs or alcohol.

The judge noted that Glynn continues to consume cannabis but told the probation officer he is now an occasional drinker.

She also noted that the probation report states Glynn started to consume pornography at a young age and has assessed him at high risk of further sexually harmful behaviour, with significant intervention required to address these issues.

The judge said the psychological report also highlights Glynn's immaturity and lack of understanding that his actions were “not only wrong, but criminal”.

Sentencing

Ms Justice Greally said a headline sentence of seven years would be appropriate for an adult offender, but reduced this to five years and six months to reflect that Glynn was a juvenile for some of the period when his offending occurred.

Having considered the mitigation and Glynn's personal circumstances, Ms Justice Greally handed Glynn a sentence of three years.

She also imposed a two-year post-release supervision order, noting that Glynn is assessed at high risk of re-offending.

Glynn was directed to place himself under the supervision of the Probation Services for two years, to engage with any sex offenders' treatment programme and to refrain from any activity or occupation which would bring him into contact with children.

An investigating garda previously told Karl Finnegan SC, prosecuting, that the woman disclosed the abuse when she was 17 to a counsellor, and then her mother was informed.

She told gardaí that Glynn sexually assaulted her on six occasions when she slept overnight at his family home.

On four of these occasions, he got into bed beside her, removed her pyjama bottoms then touched her vaginal area.

On two other occasions, similar sexual assaults occurred, with Glynn also ejaculating on her.

Glynn didn't speak to her during each incident, and she pretended to be asleep.

Glynn was interviewed by gardaí in May 2023, and while he made some admissions, he didn't accept the allegations made in their entirety.

Previous convictions

He has one previous conviction for possession of drugs. The court heard during this investigation, he was detected for another offence, possession of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography.

Glynn pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced in May for this offence before Naas Circuit Criminal Court.

In her victim impact statement, the woman described suffering with flashbacks and said she started to bang her head against walls to stop herself thinking.

“An eight-year-old shouldn't want to end their life,” she said.

Later in her statement, she said she once attempted to take her own life, but is now “glad it didn't work” as she is “here today getting justice”.

She said she had to leave her job because seeing the man's family in her workplace caused “unimaginable stress”, as she feared they would attack her.

She also spoke about her fears that a lot of stress has been put onto her parents.

She said she learnt to identify steps coming towards her house, and when the man came, her brain would “shut off” and she felt “sick to my stomach with fear”.

The woman said: “I feel I have destroyed someone’s life and family’s life by bringing this up.”

But she said she had taken her life back and hopes to give others courage. “At the end of the day, it is not about me but about the justice we all deserve”.

During cross-examination, the garda agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that Glynn's guilty pleas were of assistance to the prosecution.

It was further accepted that he is very introverted and has limited social skills.

Mr Bowman outlined his client's personal circumstances and background to the court. Glynn has a good work history, most recently in construction and has family support.

A psychological and a probation report were also provided to the court, along with a letter from Glynn's mother.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.