Abuser said 'This is what all daddies do to their little girls'
A now 65-year-old man who systematically abused his three young daughters over a long period of time has been remanded in custody for sentence on March 9 by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The father of nine told one of them: "This is what all daddies do to their little girls."
He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his three daughters now aged 40, 35 and 26 respectively, on various dates between 1970 and 1985 at their Dublin address.
His eldest victim, now 40 years of age, told Judge Yvonne Murphy: "Our father took away our childhood. He abused us physically and mentally. If he walks free today, he is going to abuse other children because he has been doing it since I was five."
When confronted in 2001 by his then grown-up daughters, who made an official complaint to gardaí, he told investigating officers: "I thought that was all forgotten. It happened years ago. They were only kids."
Garda Conor Harrison told prosecuting counsel, Mr Garnet Orange BL, that the man admitted to watching pornographic movies with his children when some of them were as young as five.
He admitted to touching them sexually and masturbating himself while he did so, and agreed that he asked one of his daughters to have sexual intercourse with him when she was 18 years old. "I never raped them. I did some things," he said.
The eldest daughter told the court that she had "given herself" to her father to prevent her younger sisters being abused by him. She had not known, however, that he was already doing so.
The three girls recounted incidents to gardaí where they were made to watch pornographic movies and magazines while he masturbated. One said she was five when he put on a pornographic video and forced her to watch by holding her head towards the television.
They recalled incidents when he lay in bed with them when their mother was away and touched their genitals. He also called them into the house when they were out playing and abused them.
The second youngest daughter said he was extremely jealous of her being with boys and sometimes beat her with his belt if he saw her in the company of one. He called her "a whore and a dirty bitch" once when he saw her with her then boyfriend.
He told one of them she had "a beautiful body" and the other that she had "lovely breasts". All three girls said the abuse was almost daily and they all lived in fear of the next assault.
"Please take into account what he has done to us since we were babies," the eldest of his three daughters told Judge Murphy.
Mr Gerard O’Brien SC, for the defendant, said Judge Murphy should consider his client’s early plea of guilty which saved the three victims from having to give evidence at a court trial and also the length of time which has elapsed since he last committed the offences.
