Rape crisis charities have criticised the leniency of the sentence handed down to Tom Humphries.

The former Irish Times journalist was jailed for two and a half years for sexually abusing a young girl in his Dublin home after grooming her for two years.

He had pleaded guilty to the offences last March and the maximum sentence he could have received was five years.

Noeline Blackwell is from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre:

In 2015 Niamh Nic Dhomhnail's ex boyfriend Magnus Meyer Hustveit was given a seven year suspended sentence after admitting several counts of rape and sexual assault.

Niamh says sentences like the one handed down to Tom Humphries today definitley act as a barrier to victims who might want to come forward.

Anyone affected by this subject can contact the Rape Crisis Helpline 24 hours a day on 1800 77 88 88