A man who repeatedly raped his wife and then subjected the same sexual violence to his two young daughters in a “breach of trust” of “his own flesh and blood” has been jailed for seventeen years.
The 45-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, had been charged with 185 counts of rape and sexual assault. He pleaded guilty to sample counts and appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Cork this morning for sentencing.
His crimes covered a fifteen-year period. One of the man’s daughters was raped from the age of nine until she was 16, whilst the other was raped from the age of nine until she was 11.
One of the young women noted that inappropriate touching started after her she made her Holy Communion, with the abuse escalating from that point.
Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said that the man breached his position of trust in the family home to abuse vulnerable young girls and their mother in a “cold campaign of rape and sexual assault” from 2004 to 2019.
Ms Justice Ring said that the man had given no indication that he understood the “devastating impact” his “deviant” actions had had on his family.
She said that the eldest daughter was subjected to rape by her father for seven years, starting when she was just nine years old. The violation of her person occurred “hundreds of times.” One of her most traumatic memories involved being preyed upon as she slept.
The abuse of the mother and eldest daughter was reported to gardaí in April 2020.
The man was still living in what was once his marital home. He was interviewed on five occasions and denied raping his eldest daughter. He even suggested that he might have sleepwalked into bedrooms.
This was in spite of significant and damning forensic evidence in the case.
Ms Justice Ring said that the “sexual violence” against his now ex-wife took place in a coercively controlled relationship where she became ever more isolated as the years progressed.
Hotel room
Even when she became ill in the last few years of their marriage, he continued to rape her. She was first raped by him in a hotel room following a wedding reception. He threatened to kill himself after she confronted him about it.
Ms Justice Ring said that the woman was raped “three or four times a week” for years. She “learnt not to react as it made him more excited.”
When she told him she planned to leave, he threatened to kill himself or take their children away from her.
The man was listed to go on trial in relation to the rape of his second daughter last month. As in the previous cases, he pleaded guilty at the latest opportunity he could do so.
Ms Justice Ring said that this young woman, who is still a teen, was raped by her father from the age of nine to 11.
All three women gave victim impact statements to the judge. The eldest daughter recalled showering and scrubbing herself to the point of bleeding after being raped by him. It was the source of much distress to her that he once bought her lingerie for her birthday.
She said that she “never felt safe” as a child. However, she now has “good and bad days” and views herself as a survivor.
The man’s ex-wife said that he robbed her of all of her confidence and self-worth and that she blamed herself for what he had done to their daughters.
She said that the emotional abuse continued even after she had left her husband.
He told people in the locality of the allegations being made against him, thereby depriving her and her daughters of the right to anonymity in relation to the crimes perpetrated upon them. She suffers from panic attacks following years of abuse.
The younger daughter of the man said that she was regularly raped from the age of nine to eleven. She is still in her teens but “does not feel like a “normal teenager.”
Ms Justice Ring said that the man even used the young girl’s pets as “weapons” when they left the family home. She now has new pets and is going to therapy.
Ms Justice Ring wished all the women well in the future, having endured “unspeakable behaviour” whilst “trapped” in their family home.
“Their determination to bring the case forward is to be applauded. None of these women bear any blame. All that rests on the shoulder of (the named man)," she said.
"He coldly engaged in a campaign of rape and sexual assaults on his wife and daughters from 2004 to 2019 during which he threatened and manipulated his wife and daughters. It had devastating effects on the family. “
Ms Justice Ring said that in addition to vaginal and oral rape, the use of a vibrator to rape his wife and daughters made the offences even more degrading and humiliating for the women.
The man, who is without previous convictions, was jailed for 18 and a half years with the final 18 months suspended. Ms Justice Ring directed that he follow all the conditions set out by the probation and welfare service following his release from prison.
The case was investigated by Det Sgt Elaine Scannell and Det Brian Morris of the Garda Protective Services Unit in Co Cork.
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.
