A 76-year-old man has been jailed for five years for indecently assaulting two young girls in the 1970s and 1980s.
Michael Griffin, with an address at Donore Road in Drogheda, pleaded guilty to eight sample counts of indecently assaulting twin sisters Mary and Regina Cooney between 1973 and 1982.
The court previously heard that Michael Griffin had married into their family.
The abuse began when the sisters were just four years old until they were 12 and took place during family visits to the home of their grandfather and the home of Michael Griffin.
Today, Judge Dara Hayes said Griffin's offending had been "very serious" and "brazen", with the abuse happening "in plain sight".
He said that Griffin was 20 years older than the victims, and that the case also involved a serious breach of trust.
The court heard that some of the assaults were carried out in the presence of other family members.
Judge Hayes said it was "extraordinary" to be so brazen, and it was also "concerning that he was also able to do so".
Now 56 years old, Mary and Regina Cooney returned to Ireland from the UK where they currently live for the sentencing hearing last November.
They waived their right to anonymity so that Michael Griffin could be named.
Speaking to RTÉ News after the first sentencing hearing, the sisters said that they came to the hearing because they wanted justice, and wanted the person who abused them as children to see them.
"One of the main reasons for doing this process was to let Michael Griffin know the true extent of what he has done to us and how it has impacted on our adult lives," said Mary Cooney.
She said that historical sex abuse was historical by name, "but it doesn't go away for the victim".
"We're 56, it happened from four years of age up until 12. It doesn't matter that it's historical."
Her sister Regina said that it was important for Griffin to see they were "not afraid of him anymore".
They described how the abuse they suffered had impacted on all aspects of their lives.
"It affected everything. Emotionally, psychologically, relationships, difficulty with intimacy," said Mary Cooney.
"We're single, middle-aged, with no children. That's not what we wanted in our lives. That's what we've got now. I think we deserve justice today," she said.
Regina Cooney described how she suffered with depression over the years, with the abuse having an impact on her confidence, her education and her career.
"I've not had the resilience. I've been bullied in jobs. I'm quieter and vulnerable and the bully can see that. You end up getting bullied again in jobs and other aspects of your life," she said.
The sisters are encouraging other victims of abuse to come forward and report it, no matter how much time has passed.
Sentencing
Today, Judge Dara Hayes outlined the victim impact evidence given to the court last November by Mary and Regina Cooney, saying they had "powerfully explained" the impact on them.
He said that they had "suffered life long impact".
Griffin is a former An Post worker, who also served three or four years in the Defence Forces in his younger years.
In outlining the aggravating factors, Judge Hayes said that the offences were "very serious" and involved a significant breach of trust on behalf of an older family member.
He said that Griffin was 20 years older than his victims at the time, and that the abuse began before the sisters began National School and continued right up to the cusp of their teenage years.
Judge Hayes said what happened had been "in plain sight" and "brazen".
He said both women have suffered a life-long impact.
He took account of the serious nature of the offences, the frequency and duration, the young age of the victims, the breach of trust and the significant impact this has had and continues to have on them.
Judge Hayes noted that Griffin had pleaded guilty, but did so on the date the case was listed for trial.
He noted a letter of apology handed into the court at the last hearing and also took account of a probation report, which expressed concerns about Griffin's acceptance of culpability or remorse.
Judge Hayes sentenced Michael Griffin to five and a half years in prison, with the final six months suspended.
Previous hearing
At the previous sentencing hearing in December, the court heard details of statements both women made to gardaí outlining how they remembered Griffin touching and groping them on various occasions.
Mary Cooney told gardaí she remembered being assaulted every Sunday by Griffin.
The court heard that Regina Cooney also told gardaí that she remembered her and her sister trying to remember to wear trousers as she thought it would prevent Griffin from touching them.
Michael Griffin initially denied the allegations and told gardai he was baffled by them.
In her victim impact statement, Mary Cooney said that waiving her right to anonymity was an "important process for me to gain closure on this trauma".
She said she wanted people in Drogheda to remember her as someone they went to school with.
"I want them to see me as a person and not just to read about an anonymous victim," she said.
In her victim impact statement, Mary Cooney said that the abuse affected her socially, psychologically, emotionally, psychosexually, physically and economically and that the humiliation and fear she suffered cannot be quantified.
She said she had emigrated to the UK and had avoided returning to Drogheda.
She said she wants to start visiting Drogheda again, "with the comfort that the secret is no longer a secret and that the shame has been handed back to Michael Griffin".
Both sisters said they had never married or had children. Mary Cooney said that she grieved for the life that she wanted for herself.
They also outlined how they had not engaged with the cervical screening process in the UK to avoid intimate examinations.
Regina Cooney said she had waived her right to anonymity in the hope it would give others encouragement to go forward.
In her victim impact statement, she outlined how she suffered from severe depression over the years.
She said the "scar tissue from the injury of multiple childhood sexual assaults never heals - it's always there".
"The burden of the trauma wound is a life sentence," she said.
