Man accused of raping daughter told gardai his 'conscience was clear'

A Sligo man accused of raping his 14-year-old daughter and fathering her child told gardaí that his conscience was clear and that there were worse sinners than him.

The 48-year-old also told gardaí during interview, “everyone makes mistakes”.

He has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to eight counts of sexual assault and seven counts of rape at the family home between September 2005 and September 2007.

The alleged victim, now aged 19, previously gave evidence that her father sexually abused her once every two to three weeks from when she was 13.

She became pregnant over a year after the abuse is alleged to have begun and she said she knew the child was her father's because she had not had sex with anyone else.

Today Garda Pauline O'Neill told prosecuting counsel Isobel Kennedy SC, that when interviewed by gardaí in relation to the allegations the accused told them he had a clear conscience.

He told them: “I believe in God. My conscience is clear. There have been worse sinners in this life. God forgives.”

“I have my own justice,” he later told detectives. “I have remorse for every wrong I've done. I'm a human being, not a red-arsed red neck”.

When gardaí told the accused that he had done a lot of good things in raising his daughter on his own he replied: “I had good intentions. I didn't start off with bad intentions. I failed.”

Gardaí also told the man that his daughter had told them she still loved him and that she wasn't “back-stabbing” him but was making the complaint of rape “for her baby”.

Interviewing gardaí told the accused man: “She loves you. She is mad about you.”

He replied that he had spoken to his daughter on the telephone since she had made the complaint and he told gardaí that they were “ok” now.

He said: “I love her and tell her every day. I resided myself to the fact that everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes you can make a weakness into strength”.

The jury also heard evidence of the taking of mouth swabs from the accused man, the alleged victim and her baby son who is alleged to be the child of the accused.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women.