A MAN who abducted and falsely imprisoned an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for 17 years, after her "brave and heroic" 10-year-old brother punched him and allowed her to escape.
Michael Martin (36), originally from Dublin but living in Waterford at the time of the offence in March, grabbed the girl at Culahill, Co Laois, as she played on the road.
However, Martin was distracted by the girl's 10-year-old brother, who punched him and clung onto his moving car, meaning the girl was able to escape.
Another brother took note of Martin's car registration details, and he was apprehended by Gardaí the following day.
Police described the girl's brother as "brave and heroic."
In a victim impact statement, the children's father said the girl had been "permanently affected in a negative way."
Martin, who has 92 previous convictions including false imprisonment and assaulting a girl, has spent almost ten years of his life in jail already.
Portlaoise Circuit Court was told that Martin had suffered chronic post traumatic stress disorder after his girlfriend, who was pregnant with their child, committed suicide.
Martin's lawyer, Una Ní Raifeartaigh, said that her client's childhood "made for grim reading."
She said: "He had an abusive dysfunctional childhood without any love in it."
Judge Keenan Johnson said that had the option been open to him he would have imposed a life sentence to "protect society" from Martin, whose 17 year sentence will include four years suspended.
