MAN JAILED FOR NINE YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT OF TWO COUSINS
A man who sexually abused his two young cousins while caring for them has been sentenced to nine years in prison.The court heard that 55-year-old Edward McGregor, living in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, manipulated and assaulted the children repeatedly between 1986 and 1993.
The victims, aged between six and 13, were assaulted when McGregor was aged 15 to 22.
However, most of the more severe offenses happened after he turned 18.
The majority of abuse occurred at the family’s home on Donard Avenue, Dublin 7, with additional incidents at McGregor’s residence in Ballymun.
In November, McGregor pleaded guilty to assaulting sisters Frances McGregor and Caitriona Carr, just as his trial was set to commence for the third time.
The abuse was reported in 2019, with McGregor initially denying all allegations.
His 2024 trial was postponed due to hospitalization for diabetes, and he missed a subsequent court date in May 2025.
It was later revealed that he was hospitalised after an incident of self-harm.
In November of the previous year, he admitted to committing 15 offenses.
Outside court, Frances McGregor expressed relief that the court recognised the truth but also conveyed frustration over the lengthy legal process, describing the delays as causing significant emotional trauma.
She criticised the court proceedings for seeming to portray McGregor as a victim, which she felt was unfair to those affected.
She emphasised that no family should endure such delays or be retraumatised, and she hoped the case would raise awareness about supporting victims.
Today, she and her sister consider themselves survivors, not victims, highlighting how childhood abuse can have lifelong effects.
Frances insisted that survivors should not feel ashamed and that the perpetrators are the ones responsible for their actions.
She also praised Garda Ellen Sharp for her compassion.
In her victim impact statement, Ms McGregor detailed how her cousin groomed her and instilled fear of being taken away from her family.
The court heard that he would guard the door while abusing one sister, and Caitriona Carr shared that she begged her mother for a different babysitter and was too young to understand what was happening when McGregor tried to assault her at age ten.
The abuse was revealed when Ms Carr confided in her husband about her depression in 2019.
The court noted that McGregor was disowned by his family and asked to leave his family home.
Ms Justice Creedon said the offending was "egregious".
And she said the victim impact statements illustrated the "immense toll" it had taken on the lives of the two women.
She sentenced McGregor to ten years in jail but suspended the final year.
He was also registered as a sex offender.
