A father has been jailed for a decade-and-a-half after a waging a “campaign of abuse and sexual assault” against his wife and two of his daughters. 

The man, who cannot be named, appeared at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork today.

The man was arrested after one of his daughters made a complaint to Gardaí in 2020 and denied all allegations during several interviews - claiming he had been sleepwalking.

He pleaded guilty to sample charges from the 185 counts on the indictment at a late stage in the case - something Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said was reflected in the prison sentence.

Outlining their victim impact statements, the judge said one of the girls had washed herself so hard that she almost drew blood, following one attack.

The court heard the man’s now-former wife blamed herself for not seeing what was happening and said he had used the children as weapons against her, threatening to take them away if she reported what was happening to her.

Ms Justice Ring said there was no blame on the two girls and their mother and wished them all the best with their lives.

If you have been impacted by rape or sexual assault you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre 24-Hour National Helpline on 1800 77 8888.