A man who forced his stepdaughter to watch while he raped her mother has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years.
The 54-year-old was convicted earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court of offences including sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a child, oral rape, assault causing harm and making threats to kill against his stepdaughter.
He was further convicted of offences against his wife, including rape, oral rape, assault causing harm, assault causing serious harm and making a threat. All the offences took place at the family home in Co Tipperary.
The man can't be named to protect the anonymity of his victims. The court heard he does not accept the verdicts of the jury.
Imposing sentence on Thursday, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said it is an aggravating feature that the incidents took place in the victims' home and that they were “afraid to breathe a word of these events to anyone”.
The judge said forcing the stepdaughter to watch the rape of her mother, the threats of violence and the use of an axe in one incident were also aggravating.
She said the mitigation includes the man's work history and that he is a foreign national with limited English.
The judge imposed a global sentence of 12-and-a-half years with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, after taking the mitigation into account.
She directed the man to have no contact with either victim for life unless they request it. He must also place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service upon release.
The man's stepdaughter made a complaint to gardaí in 2020. She said the man sexually assaulted her during a two-week period in September 2010 when she was 16 while her mother was away.
He got into the shower with the teenage girl and touched her inappropriately. The man also forced the girl to wash his genital area.
On two occasions during this period, the girl said he orally raped her in his bedroom. She said the man told her he was teaching her about sexual matters. The girl was also forced to sleep naked with him in his bed.
The girl spoke to her mother while she was away but didn't tell her about the abuse, saying instead that she was missing her.
Ms Justice Lankford noted in evidence that the man made threats to the girl, saying he would kill her if she told anyone.
The girl disclosed the abuse to her mother in 2011. The woman didn't take any action at that time, as she was conscious of the threats made by the man to her daughter and was very frightened.
The court heard some time later, there was an argument between the girl and her stepfather during which she told him her mother was aware of what happened in 2010.
The man was working and returned home when both victims were in bed. He had an axe and went into a bedroom.
He insisted one of them perform oral sex on him, saying they could choose who would do it. The mother agreed to perform oral sex, and the man demanded his stepdaughter watch.
The man then told his wife to lie on the bed, where he raped her while holding the axe.
The woman's daughter was forced to watch, and when she tried to look away, the man insisted she keep looking.
The court heard matters came to a head following a birthday party at the family home, attended by others, including the woman's sister.
The man lost his temper and overturned the kitchen table after a glass was broken. He grabbed his stepdaughter by the throat and forced her from the house.
The woman's sister said she was also ejected from the house and told the man she would not let him put his wife in the grave. She said he replied: “She is dead already.”
The woman suffered repeated physical abuse during her marriage to the man. On one occasion, he pushed her from the bed, and she landed badly on her knee. She later required surgery for the injury.
Separately, he punched her hard in the ribs, causing a haemothorax. Ms Justice Lankford noted that a doctor gave evidence during the trial that this injury can be life-threatening. The doctor said the woman said she was injured in a fall, but this seemed suspicious.
The judge said both women had outlined in victim impact statements how these incidents had affected them.
The man's wife said she was a normal, healthy woman before she met him but developed panic attacks, anxiety and a distrust of others during the marriage. She said she fears something happening to her or her children. She said the man's behaviour had taken a lot from her, and she expressed concern about the effects on her children, particularly her daughter.
Her daughter said the abuse affected her relationships with her mother and partner. She described being overprotective of her children and becoming a more nervous person than she used to be.
The man denied the allegations of sexual offending when he was arrested. During the trial, he suggested there was a conspiracy between his wife, her sister and his stepdaughter to frame him.
The court heard he has several previous convictions, but none are relevant. He came to Ireland from an Eastern European country in the early 2000s and has a good work history.
He has limited English, and his counsel told the court he is finding prison more difficult for this reason.
A number of testimonials were submitted to the court on his behalf along with a probation report. The man is assessed at low to moderate risk of re-offending and has expressed a willingness to work with the Probation Services.
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.
