Judge jails Cork woman's partner for years of cruelty against her daughter

The man had slapped her daughter, forced her to take cold showers and locked her in her room for hours

The judge imposed a sentence of two years and six months, with the last year of that sentence suspended. File picture

A woman’s new partner admitted years of cruelty to her daughter by slapping her, forcing her to take cold showers and locking her in her room for hours.

Now he has been jailed for 18 months at Cork Circuit Criminal Court where the parties cannot be named to protect the girl’s anonymity.

In her victim impact statement, she said: “From an early age, I can remember being physically slapped and screamed at by the accused. I remember being showered in cold water in the middle of the night and sometimes being showered with my clothes on.” 

She recalled having “a lot of meltdowns” when stressed whenever she experienced any tension at home. She was later diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, she said.

“During these meltdowns, I remember being slapped, roared at, and locked into my room with a nylon tied to the door and the banister to keep me there for hours. My dinner would be dropped up and I would be locked up again,” she said.

She said:

My childhood was a tough time for me, it has left me with a lot of issues which I am trying to deal with to this day.

Turning to the accused, she said: “I hope to forgive one day but now I do not, and I cannot. I would like to receive a genuine apology for the hardship and cruelty he has caused me.”

Detective Garda Craig Peterson of the Cork City Divisional Protective Services Unit, said that when questioned the man admitted he had slapped and roared at the girl and gave her cold showers as she had described.

Defence senior counsel, Jane Hyland SC, said the accused was a young man himself at the time and he was not well equipped to deal with what was a challenging situation, and that he reacted very badly to the girl’s meltdowns and dealt with them in completely the wrong way.

Judge Colin Daly said the accused was in loco parentis to a child who was particularly vulnerable. He imposed a sentence of two years and six months, with the last year of that sentence suspended.