A MANIPULATIVE “PREDATOR” who sexually abused a child while her parents were on holiday has been jailed for two and a half years.

Andrew Sankey (57) pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting the child at her home in Dublin and at an unknown location in the State on dates between September 1996 and October 2000.

It is an offence that carries a maximum sentence of five years.

Sankey, of Fry Court, Athlone, Co Westmeath, has a previous conviction for indecently assaulting a child of a similar age in the UK in 1989, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today.

He has a more recent conviction in Ireland for possession of child abuse material, for which he was jailed for six months.

The complainant in this case wished for Sankey to be named but did not want to be named herself, the court heard.

It is estimated she was aged around eight or nine at the time while Sankey was in his late twenties or early thirties.

The court heard that Sankey, who was well known to the girl’s family, took advantage of a period of time when her parents were away on holiday to sexually abuse her.

Detective Garda Leslie McCormack told Shaun Smyth BL, prosecuting, that during the period in question, the girl and her brother were staying with their grandparents while their parents were away.

The girl’s father had lent his car to Sankey, who came to the grandparents’ house and took them away for the night.

This was done without the permission of the children’s parents, who were later annoyed when they found out he had done this, the court heard.

Sankey brought the children to a B&B for the night, and after the girl’s brother had gone asleep, he enticed her into his bed and forced her to touch his penis, the court heard.

She kept saying “no” and the abuse stopped when her brother became restive.

During the same period while her parents were away, Sankey took the girl to her own house where he bathed her. He touched her and digitally penetrated her under the guise of cleaning her.

He wrote her a letter when she was aged around 20 apologising for what he had done, although he did not specify that he had sexually abused her.

The complainant, who is now in her 30s, went to gardaí in 2021.

When Sankey was arrested, he denied sexually abusing her. He said the letter of apology was to do with something he had said to her when she was a child, but he had been drunk and couldn’t remember what it was.

He entered the guilty pleas in advance of the trial.

In her victim impact statement which she read out in court, the complainant said the abuse has had a “deep and lifelong impact” on her.

She said to be sexually abused by someone her family trusted was “so inconceivable” and she has had a life of anxiety, distrust and pain as a result.

She said that as a teenager, regularly seeing Sankey who lived nearby left her “constantly triggered” and she had feelings of loss of self-worth and intense anger.

“Given his previous convictions, I felt I had no choice but to come forward and stop this happening to another innocent child,” she said.

“He is a predator and a manipulative liar.”

She said she has built a good life with her husband and children and is not a victim any more, but a “survivor and a thriver”.

Timothy O’Leary SC, defending, said his client was supported in court by his previous partner with whom he has a child and his current partner.

A letter of apology was handed up to court. O’Leary said Sankey had a long work history and was remorseful for his actions.

Sentencing Sankey, Judge Martin Nolan said he was a mature man when he abused the girl and had a history of similar offending.

Taking the five year maximum sentence into account, he set a headline sentence of three and a half years, which he reduced to two and a half years.