Senator: Domestic violence destroyed my family

A Fine Gael senator has revealed how his childhood was destroyed by domestic violence and of how he and his siblings felt let down by the law and the gardaí they looked to for help.

Tony Mulcahy unexpectedly opened his heart at the end of an Oireachtas Justice Committee hearing on domestic violence and the legislative changes needed to protect victims.

The former chairman of Clare County Council was struck by a story told by one of the contributors about a 10-year-old boy who told refuge workers with the Sonas charity that he had to physically stop his mother’s abusive boyfriend choking her, and how he imagined being a superhero so he could get rid of the abuser forever.