Girl, 5, led around on dog leash before rape

A little girl was led around in a dog lead by a neighbour before being raped, a court heard yesterday.

The child was subjected to shocking sexual abuse by her mother as well as by the neighbour from the age of five, Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court was told. Her father is to stand trial later this year on charges of sexually assaulting his daughter.

The neighbour was given an eight-year sentence last year after pleading guilty to the oral and vaginal rape of the child. That sentence is currently under appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

At the sentencing hearing of the mother yesterday, Judge Tony Hunt was told the woman gave the neighbour permission to do as he wished with her daughter and “for as long as he liked”.

The 47-year-old woman pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing to a total 12 charges, including sexual assault, willful neglect or ill treatment, as well as using her daughter for the purpose of sexual exploitation. All of the charges took place between 2004 and 2008 in the west of Ireland.

Garda Naomi Sloyan said that, in statements from social workers and the victim, it emerged that the mother had taught her daughter to masturbate when she was just five, while the child often went without food and was unable to use utensils or brush her hair when taken into care at the age of nine.

Her first foster family became concerned at what they called her sexualised behaviour. It emerged that she was masturbating in public. The first foster family was unable to cope and the child was moved to another foster home.

The child was later found to have bruises and was discovered to be self-harming by biting herself.

The male neighbour used to babysit the girl and her siblings twice or three times a week at her original family home. He involved her in oral sex and took to play ‘doggies’ in a shed out the back. He put a dog’s leash on her, led her around, then penetrated her. The girl revealed her mother said it was fine by her — he could do it as long as he liked.

Her mother had also tickled her in her private parts.

In her victim impact statement read to the court by Det Gda Mary Tarpey, the girl, now 14, said she never felt protected and was very sad. She found the change of homes very upsetting.

“I try not to think of the crime. I thought it was everyday life and I was too afraid to tell anyone,” she said.

The case was adjourned until May.