Father accused of sexually assaulting daughter convicted

The father accused of sexually assaulting his daughter was found guilty today in what was a unanimous verdict after a three-day trial .

The 52-year-old father was remanded in custody until next Thursday for sentencing.

Judge Sean O’Donnabhain said on the question of custody or bail at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, “Considering what I have seen and heard in this case custody is the most appropriate order.

"The defendant was in the witness box earlier yesterday where he said that what his 18-year-old daughter claimed in the case had never happened.

"And he said the gardai had conspired to make up the evidence that the accused had admitted the offences in a garda station.

Asked by the defence barrister, Tim O’Leary, if the sexual assaults occurred, the defendant said, "It did not my lord."

And did he make the statements of admission to the gardai, "I did not my lord. I was forced to sign them so I was."

He said he only signed them because he was trembling after being verbally abused and struck by a guard.

"For all the afternoon in the station he sat in front of me when I was being questioned by different detectives. He kept drawing his fists at my face. He drew a swipe with his fist at my glasses. This man had the wits scared out of me.

"He effed me out of it all afternoon. The language was unreal," he said.

The prosecution put before the jury two statements made by the accused when he was first questioned in relation to the case.

In one statement the accused said, "I remember bringing my daughter to my bedroom. I suppose I took off my clothes, not my underpants. I don't remember taking off her clothes."

Other related admissions were made in the statements.

The complainant said on the opening day of the trial, "I used to hide so that he would not find me. He used to coax me upstairs to his bedroom. He would take off all my clothes and he would take off his own. He would take me into the bed and touch me on my private parts. He would ejaculate on my

stomach.

"I would go into the bathroom and wash myself and he watched me washing myself."

When the trial opened the defendant was accused of 59 counts but by agreement between the State and the defence this was reduced to 27 before the matter was put to the jury.

He was convicted on all counts.