A Clare man has been sentenced to three years in jail for the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl during a sleep over at his home.
The 49-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is already in custody for a separate abuse charge, and says he intends to appeal the conviction.
Last month, the man was convicted of the sexual assault of the girl during a sleepover with other children at his home on November 11, 2005.
The court heard that he had grabbed the child while she was away from the others and sexually molested her. Afterwards she asked if she could call her mother and he said no.
In a victim impact report read into court by the investigating garda, the victim said she was glad that she could finally put the incident behind her.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is already serving a term of 15 years imprisonment for the abuse of a female relative and has 41 previous convictions, including of sexual assault and rape.
He had denied this latest charge, and during sentencing the court heard that he intends to appeal the conviction.
Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a three year sentence to date from last month. It will run concurrent to the sentence he's already serving.
