Waterford man to serve nearly 6 years in prison for sexual abuse of child
The child gave their statement in court.
A Waterford man (50s) has pleaded guilty to 20 charges of sexual abuse of a young child.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, with the final nine months suspended. The abuse is understood to have occurred on a regular basis from the period of late 2018 until mid-2021. The man was a trusted adult figure in the child's life.
The child told his parents about the abuse in mid-2024. He was doing homework on 'Good Touch/ Bad Touch', a program designed to teach children how to discern inappropriate behaviour. The child became upset and told his father about the abuse he had suffered. The child's parents reported the abuse to the Gardaí and the boy underwent a specialist interview with a specially-trained member of An Garda Síochána.
The man was arrested and detained by Gardaí in June 2024 and declined to comment. The court heard that he had once told a woman that he was a paedophile. According to the witness evidence of Garda Detective Seamus Halpin, the man said: "If he saw a 10 year old boy, he'd want him."
The man had no previous convictions. The court heard that he was married and had children of his own, but is now estranged from his family. He offered the victim and his family compensation. The offer was declined.
The child read out his victim impact statement in person accompanied by his parents. He began by saying that he wanted to share his experience and the impact that it had on him. He said: "I was a scared, confused and embarrassed young boy who had little idea of what was going on and how to act on it. I also felt violated and upset and as if it couldn't get worse I was made to feel like I couldn't tell the people I trust and love the most. As I got older and started realising more and more how wrong this was, I eventually could no longer carry this weight by myself and finally told my father, which leads me to the present day."
He spoke about the anxiety, pain, stress and nightmares he has suffered in the years since the abuse and how his family struggle.
He said that while he may never be able to gain back the trust he once had for people, he hoped that by coming forward 'that less people can be hurt by crimes like these'.
