A man was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for “a catalogue” of rape against his stepdaughters.
The 35-year-old man admitted six counts each of rape to the children.
He also admitted to one count of sexual activity with a minor and another of attempted rape.
The court heard that all of the offenses occurred over a period of ten years.
The victims were between the ages of 10-14 years old, and six to nine years respectively when the offenses occurred.
Londonderry Crown Court heard from Coleraine that the offences took place in the family home, after the mother of the children had left for work.
The offences were discovered when the older victim told her boyfriend all about it.
One of the girls claimed that the man had abused her since she was a child.
Judge Philip Babington stated that the victims had seen the man as a father figure and that the entire family was devastated when the crimes were revealed.
He stated that the offenses were made worse by the fact that they took place at the family home, where the children should have felt safe.
Judge Babington described the offenses as “a catalog of rape” and said that there were “multiple counts of rape over many years.”
The man was sentenced for 15 years imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offender register for an indefinite time. He also had to keep an eye on a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for an indefinite amount.
