A 50-year-old man has been convicted of raping his now 10-year-old daughter in a Co. Westmeath town 2 or 3 years ago.

The man who cannot be named was also found guilty on 3 charges of sexually assaulting the young girl and of inviting her to watch a pornographic film.

The man sighed and shook his head as the jury unanimously convicted him of raping and sexually abusing his daughter on dates between 2009 and 2010.

It took them less than 2 hours to find him guilty on a total of 5 charges.

The court heard on one occasion he followed her into a closet and put his hand on her private parts during a game of ‘hide and seek’.

She also described watching a “dirty” film and how she was raped on a bed in his flat.

Her father denied the allegations and told gardaí he believed the the mother of the girl ‘put her up to” it’ claiming that his former partner had a ‘vendetta’ against him.

He has been remanded in custody for sentencing this October.