An 82-year-old man who raped his daughter from the age of 12 until she was in her early 20s has been jailed for 15 years for putting her through a "sustained campaign of sexual abuse" and “degradation.”
Edward Molyneaux, of Kilshenane, Listowel, Co Kerry, was last month found guilty by unanimous verdict of more than 60 counts of raping and sexually assaulting his daughter.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard that in addition to the sexual abuse, the victim was beaten with a large leather strap and had a chair broken over her head when she was around 12 years old.
Even though the abuse was effectively admitted by Molyneaux when he was interviewed by gardaí, he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges he faced. The court heard he abused his daughter in ditches, fields and lanes when the foundation of their family home in Kilshenane was being built.
The victim in the case, Marie Murphy (59), waived her right to anonymity.
Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said the abuse was at the highest level of the scale. She praised Mrs Murphy for delivering her victim impact statement to her abuser in a “powerful” and “direct” manner and wished her and her family well for the future.
She said the former mental health nurse, who also went on to work with teenagers, had succeeded in life despite suffering an "appalling regime of abuse."
Ms Justice Lankford said Molyneaux, who has not shown any remorse for his actions, may well die in prison. She said he had failed to accept the verdict even though he had admitted to gardaí in interviews that he was a paedophile.
The judge said a plea in the case would have saved Mrs Murphy the “huge trauma of a trial.”
She noted the abuse took place in a number of different locations.
“Outdoors in ditches in circumstances which involved an unusual level of degradation. There is no prospect of rehabiliation. There is no basis for suspending [any portion of the sentence].
The trial heard that when gardaí questioned Molyneaux in 2023 the pensioner admitted “playing sex games” with his daughter. He recalled seeing her in sexual terms at the age of four. He said he was “having sex” from the age of 14 or 15.
He told gardaí he used a condom as he was “afraid that she might get pregnant” and that he had sex with her “about once a week.”
When asked what he would call a person who is sexually aroused by a four-year-old, Molyneaux replied: "A paedophile." Asked if he was a paedophile he said: "I am. But not to other kids."
Meanwhile, in her victim impact statement, Mrs Murphy said her father was a “master manipulator” who branded her as a “trouble maker”. However, in reality she was just an innocent child being subjected to horrendous abuse.
She told her father that she was now free of him and it was time to rebuild her life. She said Molyneaux began raping her in their family home in the late 1970s when she was 12 and continued doing so until she was in her early 20s.
“It’s time to speak out, I’m not keeping your secret anymore, it’s your shame, your blame, you’re the one who destroyed your name and your family.
“As a child I needed someone to advocate for me, ensuring no harm would come my way, to feel I was safe and secure – [but] knowing no different, this was my norm, I was his, to be abused in whichever manner he so chose, after all, I was of his making.”
She said her father characterised her as a liar.
“I could read your face like an open book – to surrender as if to say, ‘You don’t dare best me’ – that you were going to dominate me, no matter what – you treated me as your sexual plaything, doing things that a child should never know – you robbed me of the innocence of childhood.
“While others would see you as a charismatic rogue that would help anyone out, you’re a master manipulator – no one saw the wreckage you were causing within the home and in my life.
“You beat me down saying that I would amount to nothing in this life. I have succeeded in life. I could read you like an open book.”
Mrs Murphy said that she was “let down” during her childhood.
“I was let down by many during my childhood from family and outside agencies. All the signs were there, you only needed to look a little closer, that I was at high risk.
“But no one dared to approach you on any topic, due to the ramifications — the violence displayed at the drop of a hat.”
She said other people in similar situations should come forward.
“Speak the truth the you will be heard and believed. There is hope and there is help that others can guide you through the dark times and guide you in to the light. Be brave, reach out.
“If you are experiencing any form of abuse it stops right now. Just take that one step to freedom and recovery.”
Mrs Murphy thanked gardaí, lawyers, health professionals, counsellors and rape crisis centres.
Det Sgt Trevor Ryan said the man raped his daughter in houses, sheds, lane and in ditches. Even when she left home at 18 he would continue to rape her when she returned home for holidays.
Prosecution counsel Ray Boland SC said the Director of Public Prosecutions viewed the abuse as “exceptional” in nature.
A school friend of Mrs Murphy had told the trial that she saw the marks on Marie's body consistent with her having been beaten with a belt.
Molyneaux has been placed on the sexual offenders register for the rest of his life. The Director of Public Prosecutions said a sentence between 15 years and life imprisonment was merited.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
