New file shows State ignored warnings as convicted rapist and ‘psychotic’ wife adopted child

The late couple, Patrick and Bridget/Breda O'Brien, at the Central Criminal Court on January 21, 2013. Patrick was convicted of 16 charges of the rape and indecent assault of his daughter Fiona Doyle. Gardaí had been preparing to charge Breda for not protecting her daughter but she died before any case could proceed. File picture: Collins Courts

The wife of a man later convicted of raping his daughter was described as “borderline psychotic” and was told she was not suitable to foster or adopt — and yet they went on to become adoptive parents years later, new records show.

In 2013, Patrick O’Brien was given a 12-year sentence with the final nine years suspended for 16 counts of raping and sexually assaulting his daughter Fiona Doyle. He died in 2023.