inducing his girlfriend's seven-year-old daughter to perform an indecent act on him.

The judge also ordered Gordon Matthew, 38, of Southampton to undergo psychiatric counselling as part of the sentence.

Crown counsel Mr. Diarmuid Doorly told Supreme Court the offence occurred sometime between May and October 1988, but only came to light last year.

Matthew had lived with the victim's mother for several years and would often take the young girl on outings, he said.

On one of the outings, Matthew took her and an eight-year-old cousin to Flat Rock in Spanish Point.

Mr. Doorly said Matthew pulled down his shorts to urinate, after which he made the girl touch his penis. Her cousin witnessed the act, Mr. Doorly added.

Matthew told the girls not to tell anyone and they returned home.

The girl only told of the act four years later after she had gone to live with her natural father and step family in Florida.

She revealed her experience to them in January 1992 and as a result of a complaint to local Police, Matthew was taken in for questioning.

He admitted going on the outing, but denied that the indecent act took place.

Mr. Doorly recommended a two-year prison sentence as punishment.

But Matthew's lawyer Mr. Richard Hector, saying the offence was "on the lower end of the scale for indecent acts'', said if any prison sentence was given, it should be suspended.

He said Matthew had a virtually clean criminal record and had not been in trouble with the law since the offence occurred.

He said he had pleaded guilty to spare the girl, now 13, and her cousin the trauma of having testify in court.

Mr. Hector added Matthew had not deliberately trapped the child or forced her to perform the act on him. It happened after he "went to answer a call of nature'', the lawyer said.

When asked if he had anything to say to the court, Matthew said: "I'm sorry that the child has been exposed to this.'' Puisne Judge the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward said he accepted the offence was on the lower end of the scale. However, he had found a custodial sentence was necessary.