A young man who was systematically abused and raped by his father for three years has told the Central Criminal Court that he never had a childhood.
His 52-year-old father was convicted last month of 47 counts of sexual assault and rape on his son when he was aged between 12 and 15.
In an emotional victim impact statement, the now 20-year-old said he lived in fear of his father.
He said he hated him and would never forgive him for what he did.
The young man's mother pleaded guilty last year to incest in relation to another son and to cruelty and neglect of the couple's six children.
She is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence.
The man continues to deny sexually assaulting and raping his son between 2001 and 2004 when the young man was taken into care.
In the witness box he accused his son of lying. However, the jury did not believe him and they found him guilty of 47 counts of rape and sexual assault.
The court was told today that social services had been involved with the family from 1989 and had been involved on a more serious level from 1996.
The abuse by the father on his oldest child took place in a bedroom which he shared with two younger brothers.
The court heard his mother had witnessed a number of the rapes but had not reported them at the time.
'Any semblance of parental propriety was absent in the house', the court heard.
The court heard the mother sought and obtained a High Court injunction in 2000, preventing the children from being taken into care.
The abuse on the child in this case began after that injunction had been granted.
Lawyers for the convicted man said a psychological report showed he did not suffer from any psychiatric illness.
He said he had consistently maintained the position that he did not carry out these offences.
Senior Counsel, David Goldberg said these offences occurred in 2001.
He said the children's mother went to the High Court in 2000 and sought and obtained an injunction restraining the health board from bringing the children into care.
If the health board had pursued this, these offences would never have occurred he said.
He said for whatever reason, the health board had not pursued it, and this had led to this tragic result.
He asked the judge not to impose a life sentence.
Mr Justice Barry White said he could rest assured that he would not impose a life sentence in this case but he needed time to consider the matter.
He said he would impose sentence at 10.30am on Friday morning.
