A Derry man who indecently assaulted three sisters over a 10-year-period has been given 15 months in jail.
The Court of Appeal in Belfast imposed the prison term on the 51-year-old - who cannot be named to protect his victim's identities - after ruling that the original suspended sentence was too lenient.
The man had pleaded guilty to 14 counts of inde
cent assault between 1974 and 1984 at Derry Crown Court last October. He carried out attacks on the three victims throughout their childhood and teenage years.
Some of the offences occurred when he was babysitting at their home, and later when he was giving one of them driving lessons.
On one occasion he touched one girl and told her not to tell anyone and that "it was their little secret", the court heard. When he was interviewed by police in 2006, the man emphatically denied the allegations against him - only to later change his plea to guilty.
He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, which was suspended for three years, and placed on the sex offenders register.
But the Attorney General applied to the Court of Appeal to have the sentences quashed on the basis that they were not severe enough.
Ruling in the case, Lord Justice Higgins acknowledged how the trial judge had not reached his decision "without a great deal of heart searching".
Nonetheless, he added, an 18 month suspended prison sentence was unduly lenient. Lord Justice Higgins said: "We are of that opinion because of the number of offences, the 10 year period of time over which the offences were committed, the number of victims, their ages and relationship of the offender, the impact of the offences on two of them, the fact that the offender returned to one of the victims twice, when he and she were both older."
The judge also pointed out that a guilty plea, which spares a victim having to give evidence, may merit some credit but should not be over-emphasised.
In passing sentence, the judge said he took into account “the effect of double jeopardy as well as the age of the offender when some of the offences were committed and his pleas of guilty”.
"We direct that the offender shall surrender to custody within 72 hours."
