Amirul Arif Yunos, 38, pleaded guilty to six counts of engaging in a sexual act with a child, one count of sexually exploiting a child, and one of meeting a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

According to the Irish Times, Amirul was working with Ireland’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services centre in Clonskeagh, Dublin, at the time the offences were committed.

It was reported that the girl’s parents had engaged Amirul on an ad hoc basis as she was struggling with her mental health.

The girl was 15 when Amirul committed most of the offences against her, and 16 when the final incident occurred in September last year.

The court was told that the abuse began with inappropriate touching before escalating to other sexual acts. The offences took place at several locations, including in a car, at his home, in her home, and at his workplace.

In a victim impact statement, read by prosecuting counsel Derek Cooney, the victim said the abuse had left her with “painful and grave trauma” that had impacted her both emotionally and psychologically.

Judge Orla Crowe initially sentenced Amirul to 12 years’ jail but ordered that the term be calculated from the date of arrest, reducing the total sentence to eight and a half years.

In arriving at the 12-year sentence earlier, Crowe said that aggravating factors included the grooming behaviour, the accused’s professional and social standing, the impact on the victim, and the escalating nature of the offences.

The mitigating factors included an early guilty plea, lack of previous convictions, and Amirul’s expression of remorse, she added.