Prison chief showed no remorse for abuse
The 27-year-old Dublin woman who was abused by the Pat Carolan over seven years said after she reported him to the gardaí he continued to salute her daily.
"He looked like he did not have a care in the world and made no effort to avoid me and my family I almost felt it was done on purpose," the victim said.
Using the pseudonym of Emma, she said Mr Carolan, aged 73, was out in his garden chatting to neighbours on Monday, the day before he was jailed for a year.
She claimed Mr Carolan intimidated her family in a subtle way. "He did a number of things that went beyond the bounds of belief and the neighbours know this."
The abuse started when she was about five and continued until she was around 13. Emma said she was afraid to report it until her father died because Pat Carolan said her father would be jailed if she did.
"It was terrifying, here was a man who had a senior position in the prison down the road and he said my Dad would end up there if I told anyone what he was doing," Emma told RTE's Liveline show.
She lived in terror that her Dad had been sent to prison if he was late home from work and her family would think it was her fault. Emma said Mr Carolan knew she was frightened and no one would imagine he did this to her, because he was highly respected in the community.
Before she told her family, Emma said she was lying in bed thinking of killing herself, and only got the courage to tell her mother after her father's death in March, 2000.
"My family went into total shock and devastation and did not know what to do," Emma said.
He local GP told her to get counselling, but Emma found it difficult and after telling her story on Liveline, the Rape Crisis Centre contacted her with the name of a good counsellor. Emma said it was a relief when Pat Carolan pleaded guilty. Her biggest problem would have been if it had been her word against his.
Her main aim in going to court was to get her abuser named publicly so that everyone would know what he had done, but it was not her intention to have him jailed.
"It came down to me or him. It had to be me or him. I'm sorry for the pain his family is going through, but I didn't do it them."
