This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

A Galway man who sexually abused three of his wife’s siblings when they were children has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had argued at the Court of Appeal that the jury verdict was ‘perverse’ because of ‘inconsistencies’ in the evidence heard.

Dismissing his appeal yesterday, Ms Justice Tara Burns said this argument was ‘wholly without foundation’

The Galway resident was unanimously convicted on November 30th, 2022, of five counts of indecent assault against two of his sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law, by a jury sitting at Galway Circuit Court.

Two of the counts on the indictment related to a single charge of indecent assault of each of his two sisters-in-law, while he was also convicted of indecently assaulting his brother-in-law on three occasions.

The man, who had pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to a total of 23 months in prison by Judge Brian O’Callaghan on June 15th 2023.

The man argued that the jury verdict was ‘perverse’ because of ‘inconsistencies’ in the evidence heard.

Patrick McCullough, representing the man, also suggested the trial judge had erred by refusing an application to sever the indictment, claiming this was fundamentally unfair.

Aoife O’Leary, for the State refuted this, stating all of the offences were assaults committed against children in a familial context.

Upholding his conviction, Ms Justice Burns ruled that the trial judge did not err in exercising his discretion by refusing an application to have the cases heard separately.

The man’s appeal against conviction was dismissed as the court had not upheld either ground of appeal.