Father jailed for repeated rape, sexual assault of young daughter

DUBLIN, Ireland - A man has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison for regularly raping and sexually assaulting his little daughter after re-entering her life when she was six.

Cyril Mullane, 51, of Borefield, Strokestown, County Roscommon, was found guilty by a jury earlier this year of 25 counts of rape and sexual assault.

His daughter, now 19, waived her anonymity and hoped other survivors might be encouraged to come forward.

The court heard that Chloe Mullane was overjoyed when her father, Cyril, returned to her life as a child.

He and her mother had a brief affair before he moved away. When she was six, he started visiting her home to get to know her, and she would stay with him.

Instead of the usual loving relationship she desired, the court heard how her childhood years were poisoned, leaving her "confused, isolated, and angry."

Cyril Mullane molested and sexually assaulted his daughter for five years until she was twelve.
Judge Kerida Naidoo claimed he misled her into believing this was how fathers behaved.

A jury convicted him guilty of 25 offenses between June 2011 and September 2016.

Ms Mullane told the court that she still struggled with the effects of the abuse and felt like broken and damaged goods.

Judge Naidoo sentenced Mullane to 13 years in prison but postponed the remaining 18 months to consider mitigating circumstances.

Mullane's offenses, the judge claimed, occurred over the majority of his daughter's youth, and he was guilty of a severe breach of trust after re-entering her life.