A man who engaged in a sexual act with his adult daughter, who has an intellectual disability, has been jailed for eight years.
The 69-year-old pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two counts of engaging in a sexual act with a protected person in Leinster on 7 February 2023.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has no previous convictions.
The woman is aged in her mid-30s and has a moderate intellectual disability. She now lives in a residential care setting.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said this was a very serious offence with a maximum term of life in prison.
"As a father, he betrayed her ... These offences were committed by her father - he could do whatever he liked," the judge said.
Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the defendant to nine years in prison, but suspended the final year for a period of two years.
He backdated the jail term to when the defendant went into custody.
The judge placed the man under the supervision of the Probation Services for five years and directed him to undertake any courses that it deems appropriate.
He is also to have no contact with his daughter without her consent and only then under very strict supervision.
At a previous hearing, an investigating garda said that the injured party is in her mid-30s and has moderate intellectual disability.
The court heard the woman was given a course on sexuality and she disclosed during that meeting that she had never shared a bed with a man before, except with her father, who had not worn a condom.
Specialist garda interviewers spoke to the victim and she was moved into residential care after the abuse was disclosed.
The investigating garda agreed with Senior Counsel Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing, defending, that a trial date was fixed for March of this year, but a guilty plea had been entered, saving the woman from having to give evidence in front of a jury.
The garda also accepted that the man had no previous convictions and that his wife had passed away a number of years ago, meaning he became his daughter's main carer.
A social worker gave evidence that the woman has good independent skills and is a kind and caring person who masks her emotions.
She told Senior Counsel Vincent Heneghan, prosecuting, that the woman had not availed of any counselling and the abuse continues to affect her daily life.
