A 34-year-old Donegal man, discharged from the army last week after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Father of three Kenneth McDonald, of Ernedale Heights in Ballyshannon, was convicted on four charges of sexually assaulting the girl in 2003 when she was 13 and he was 28.
During the sentencing hearing this morning, the court was told that the victim - who is now 19 - had been taken into care when the garda investigation began.
It emerged that she had been involved sexually with 22 men but there was no evidence that a ring was in operation.
In her victim impact statement the girl said that when she was taken into care she started taking drugs regularly to block out the trauma she had been through.
She started to self harm, she overdosed and cut her arms and her legs. 'I didn't want to be me' she said.
The girl was very depressed and was moved to a secure unit where she said she started to change. She did courses on self esteem, sex education and drink and drugs awareness.
She said that this was part of a turning point in her life and she realised that she could not live like she had been living any longer.
Judge Raymond Fullham said McDonald was aware of the girl's wretched circumstances, that she had been virtually abandoned and was embarking on a life of promiscuity.
He said McDonald undermined whatever chance she had as a normal adolescent and he did it for his own sexual gratification.
Judge Fullham sentenced Mc Donald to three years in jail and suspended the last nine months on condition he undertakes a counselling course for sex offenders and keeps the peace.
