A garda who verbally and emotionally abused his two daughters has been remanded on continuing bail for sentence for child cruelty and assault causing harm. The 48-year-old man was on trial earlier this month at the Central Criminal Court where he was acquitted of two counts of raping his wife, the mother of the two daughters. He had also denied two counts of child cruelty and one count of assault causing harm to his now 24-year-old daughter and one count of child cruelty against his now 17-year-old daughter. He was convicted on all of these counts. The cruelty offences against his older daughter occurred on unknown dates between 2007 and 2020, and the assault causing harm occurred on a date between late 2021 and early 2022 after she had turned 18.The child cruelty count against his younger daughter occurred on dates between 2015 and 2024.The defendant is a serving member of An Garda Síochána who has been on suspension since December 2024, pending the outcome of this prosecution. He has no previous convictions.Defending counsel James McGowan said the man now accepted the verdicts of the jury and said the conviction would “undoubtedly have a serious impact on his career”. He said his client had since done a parenting course.Judge Sean Gillane said cases involving children should be dealt with as soon as possible, but acknowledged the father in this case now accepted his guilt. “That is a very important development, that he now publicly acknowledges that these children were telling the truth,” the judge said, before adding he must also take into account that “the case was fully contested”. “I am not entitled to go behind the jury’s verdict. I have to give full effect to the jury verdicts that the treatment here was intentional,” the judge continued. He remanded the man on continuing bail to October for finalisation of sentence and ordered a report from the Probation Service and a psychological report for that hearing.[ Garda acquitted of raping wife but convicted of child cruelty against two daughtersOpens in new window ]On day one of the trial, prosecuting counsel Dominic McGinn had told the jury the accused was “a violent and domineering father and husband” who subjected two of his daughters to “unreasonable chastisement” for most of their childhood.The victim-impact statement of the 24-year-old woman was read into the record. She said her father’s behaviour has impacted her emotional wellbeing and mental health. She said she had been left with extreme anxiety, depression, anger and grief. “Someone who was supposed to care for me would treat me this way and continue to do so in the future. I worry about future contact, especially for my younger sister. I worry that he will continue to cause us trouble and we will never have any peace,” she continued, saying she also worries about her mother. Her 17-year-old sister stated in her victim-impact statement, also read into the record, that she found the whole process, the case going through to the courts, “mentally draining and difficult to deal with”. “I am at peace knowing that this chapter is coming to a close. I can rest assured that we are free from this situation forever more,” she said.The judge noted that neither of the daughters were in court, but their mother was. He asked that they both be told their words resonated with him and he would think carefully about what they had to say. It was accepted that the man had no previous convictions and had been suspended since December 2024, having become a garda in 2004. The investigating garda told McGowan he could not comment on the impact the conviction would have on the man’s career, but acknowledged that, as far as he was aware, the man had an “unblemished record” in An Garda Síochána. McGowan asked the court to accept that prison would be more difficult for his client as he is a garda, and he asked for the case to be adjourned to allow for the preparation of a psychological report.