Man gets 12 years for sexual abuse of daughter
A man who sexually abused his now-teenage daughter almost on a daily basis - including regular oral rape - from the time she made her First Holy Communion has been jailed for 12 years by Mr Justice Paul Carney.
The victim had complained several times that he was sexually abusing her and finally packed her bag and left home when her mother said they would "sort it out with him" when he returned from the pub that night.
She had been assured by her mother at least twice previously that he had promised not to abuse her again.
Mr Justice Carney at the Central Criminal Court directed that the 41-year-old man be registered as a sex offender and that he must undergo 10 years' post-release supervision.
He said he had measured the crimes as meriting a 15-year sentence and that he was required by law to discount as appropriate for the man's early guilty plea and that there was "some evidence of remorse".
Mr Justice Carney imposed 12 years on the rape counts and concurrent eight-year and four-year sentences on the sexual-assault charges. The man had pleaded guilty to four counts of oral rape and eight counts of sexual assault on dates from July 2000 to June 2007. The 12 sample counts were from 39 on the indictment
Prosecuting counsel Ms Anne B Rowland BL had earlier said the Director of Public Prosecutions considered the case to be at the higher end of the scale for sentencing.
Garda Lisa McCarthy said the sexual abuse began after the victim made her First Holy Communion and for most of the first years of being abused, she believed "this was a normal occurrence in a little girl's life".
Before she left home her father had threatened that if he "wasn't getting it" from her he would "get it" from her younger sister.
The victim revealed in her victim impact statement that she "lived in dread" her father would come after her and kill her and that on one occasion after she left home she ran across oncoming traffic when she saw him coming towards her on a city street.
She also revealed she had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists and still had suicidal feelings as well as suffering from depression and low self-esteem. She expected her counselling to continue into the foreseeable future because she saw "no good in life".
Garda McCarthy said the victim also reported that she still suffered nightmares and that her only childhood memories were of her father abusing her. She finally reported her seven-year ordeal to gardaí because she feared her father was going to repeat his abuse on her younger sister who was due to make her First Holy Communion.
She agreed with defence counsel Mr Michael O'Higgins SC (with Ms Rosemary Aylmer BL) that her father made full admissions after he came voluntarily to the Garda station and said he wouldn't dispute anything his daughter said in her statement of complaint. He had no previous convictions.
