Brave grandmother tells court of shocking depravity and abuse

MANY women who are raped refuse to press charges as they fear having to go to court and give evidence.

But this brave Co Tipperary grandmother was determined to get justice and see the man who brutally raped her brought to trial.

When she entered the witness box on Tuesday last week she cried quietly.

On taking a sip of water, she told the court in graphic, shocking detail the depravity visited on her by Cummins.

Cummins sat with his arms folded a few feet away showing no emotion.

Not alone did she give a good description of Cummins, his clothes and the awful acts he subjected her to, she also detailed the sick verbal abuse he hurled at her throughout.

On the morning of May 22, 2005 a man was in her kitchen. She told him he had better get out before she called the guards.

He left and she said, “Thank God he is gone.”

But then she saw he was still at the back door and noticed he had gloves on.

He pushed his way back in and asked if she had a husband.

She told him that he was on the phone in the bedroom calling the guards. The intruder told her he would hurt both of them if the guards were called.

He asked her about money and she said she did not have a lot as she was a pensioner. At that, he pushed her on to an armchair.

She told the court how her attacker pulled her nightdress up over her face and raped her. The rape lasted 10 minutes or more before he turned her around and raped her anally.

She said: “I kept saying: ‘Stop, you are hurting me,’ and he said if I did not shut my mouth he would really hurt me.”

She asked him to take money she had in a purse and leave her alone. The witness said: “He said that it was no trouble for me and that I should be well used to that.”

He told her she would not have got as good from her husband and fondled her breasts. She tried to scream but got a pain in her chest. Her attacker told her there was nothing wrong with her and she was well able for it.

She had €160 in a purse and he took all but €25, saying she did not need much money. After he left by the back door she vomited and stayed awake until around 7.45am, wondering how she would tell her family what had happened.

She fell asleep. On waking she got sick again on looking at the chair where she was raped.

Her evidence was calm and lucid.

Even the defence agreed everything she testified happened.

The rapes happened in the home where she had reared six children, one of whom died. A home which had many treasured memories until Joseph Cummins went there like a monster in the night.