MAN JAILED FOR ABUSING TWO SISTERS
A man has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for abusing two sisters sexually during their childhood, while residing in his neighbourhood.David Mason, 49, of Graigue Court in Ballymun, Dublin 11, denied the charges in court but was convicted after a trial held at the Central Criminal Court in March.
He faced 23 counts of sexual assault and five counts of rape for the older sister, along with three counts of sexual assault involving her younger sibling.
Both women requested that Mason's name be publicly reported but wished to remain anonymous themselves.
Detective Garda Brian Morrissey provided details to prosecuting, Carl Hanahoe, explaining that the older sister was just seven years old when Mason, then aged 19, began abusing her.
She testified that the abuse escalated over two years, leading to five incidents of rape.
She described the initial abuse as Mason touching her breast over her clothing while she was playing.
On another occasion, Mason took her into a bedroom and assaulted her sexually while she was lying on the bed.
She explained that the abuse occurred on a regular basis weekly or biweekly especially when she visited Mason’s house.
The first rape incident happened around her communion, and although she asked Mason to stop because he was hurting her, he continued.
She didn’t reveal the abuse until September 2020, when her younger sister complained to police.
Her mother then approached her, and she admitted that Mason had also sexually abused her.
The younger sister, who is 16 years younger than Mason, reported that her first abuse took place when she was approximately three years old.
The older sister told police she had disclosed the abuse to friends and her mother during secondary school and had been experiencing mental health issues for some time.
In November 2021, Mason was interviewed and acknowledged living in the same neighbourhood as the sisters, but he denied all allegations.
Charges were brought against him in 2022, and it was during this process that the older sister made her accusations of sexual assault and rape.
He was again interviewed in November 2024, maintaining his innocence of all charges.
The older sister read her victim impact statement into the record.
She said she had “a deep sense of shame and disgust that I have never been able to fully escape”.
The woman said she felt guilty for not being able to protect her baby sister, adding: “I was a child – I did not have the ability to protect myself.” She described experiencing panic attacks and nightmares, and said no child should have to carry memories like this.
“You changed how I experienced everything, for 30 years of my life, but despite everything, you did not end my story,” the woman said.
She said she made a constant choice to break the cycle – “it took years, it took strength.” “Today I stand here as grown [me] after fighting for so long for little [me] – I am who I choose to be.
I am brave and strong,” she said.
She described Mason as “a pathetic excuse of a man” and said she was holding him “accountable for the choices he made and the harm he caused”.
The woman concluded her statement by expressing her deepest gratitude to the judge for his “wisdom, patience and guiding her through these proceedings”.
The second sister said her life has been overshadowed and the emotional impact from the abuse has never gone away.
She said she viewed “suicide as a way to escape”.
She said struggles to remember large parts of her childhood and believes this is linked to the trauma.
“He made me feel disgusting, worthless and uncomfortable in my own skin,” she said.
Eoghan Cole, defending, said his client was a father of two.
He maintains his innocence.
Judge Kerida Naidoo said consecutive terms were necessary as there were two victims.
He imposed consecutive sentences totalling 13 years and six months.
He suspended the final 12 months of that term on strict conditions.
The judge said having considered the victim impact statement, it was “very clear that the offending behaviour had serious and enduring impacts on both victims”.
