A 78-year-old man who regularly raped his daughter while her mother was at work has been jailed for four years.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five sample charges of carnal knowledge without the girl's consent on dates between July 1973 and November 1974 at the family home in Co Mayo.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the three core factors were - the effect the offences had on the victim, the age of the accused and the state of health of the accused man.

The judge said the idea of a father abusing his daughter in this manner is shocking.

The court heard that the now 54-year old woman was raped on a regular basis from 1972 to 1975, while she was aged between nine and 12 years old.

A local detective Garda said the woman first contacted Gardaí in 2015.

She said her father would bring her into her parents' bedroom, while her mother was out at work and rape her. Sometimes he would promise to buy her clothes.

The judge was told that the moment the accused man was arrested, he acknowledged what he had done and said he wished he could turn back the clock.

The court heard he has no contact now with his wife or other children and has been disowned from his local community.

Mr Justice McCarthy imposed a four-year sentence which he backdated to May when the man first went into custody. He said the sentence was “very substantially less” than would otherwise have been imposed due to the accused man's age and state of health.