A retired cameraman who sexually assaulted his teenage step-daughter 30 years ago in an “egregious breach of trust” has been jailed for 12 months.
Finalising the sentence, Judge Elma Sheahan noted that while Byrne denied the charge, gave evidence and instructed counsel during the trial, he now accepts the verdict of the jury and has offered an apology to Ms McCarthy. She said this was an “egregious breach of trust” because Ms McCarthy had believed Byrne to be her biological father. Judge Sheahan noted that Byrne was “in truth, her de-facto father”.
On the night in question, Ms McCarthy had gone home after attending a christening party at a neighbour's house. Byrne was downstairs in the sitting room, while her mother returned to the neighbour's house. The court heard Ms McCarthy thought Byrne was her father; however, a DNA test showed this was not the case. A victim impact statement was handed to the court but not read aloud.
Mr Dwyer told the court that Byrne is a father-of-four, and three of his children and his wife, who is the mother of Ms McCarthy, were in court to support him. He asked Judge Sheahan to consider his client's expressions of remorse, family support and work record. His client is a “community man” and is “otherwise someone of good character” who will be added to the sex offenders register, defence counsel said.