A man who raped his two young sisters has been sentenced to four years in prison at the Central Criminal Court.
However, Mr Justice Paul Butler suspended the final three years of the sentence.
The 50-year-old Cork man was found guilty by a jury in March of raping and indecently assaulting his sisters in an incident in 1972.
At the time he was aged 14, and his sisters were aged 11 and 8.
Their parents were out shopping.
The court heard that after he had raped the older sister he told her to get her younger sister and raped her as well.
In a victim impact statement, read to the court, the older sister said all she had wanted from her brother was an apology, something she knew she would never get.
She said the rape had happened in a place people consider a place of safety where no one should be able to harm you.
And she said it happened at the hands of a family member who most siblings would look to for love and protection.
At the time she said, she knew it was wrong, it hurt and she asked ‘Why is this happening to me?’
She said the rape had led her to become overly-protective of her own children and the last ten years had been the worst ten years of her life.
Relatives, neighbours and people she had considered close friends now avoided her.
Tim O'Leary, SC for the defence, urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence.
He said the offences happened 36 years ago and the man had not reoffended.
He said the man accepted the jury verdict and this was of some comfort to the older sister.
Mr Justice Paul Butler said the incident was appalling and there was no way the man could get away with a non-custodial sentence.
However, he said he had to take into the account the fact that the man was 14 at the time and that the offences occurred a very long time ago and also that there had been no reoffending.
He sentenced him to four years, with the final three years suspended.
