Man who raped and sexually assaulted his wife and two daughters jailed for 17 years

The accused man was interviewed on five occasions and always denied all of the allegations against him. At one stage, he claimed he might have gone into his daughter’s bedroom when sleep-walking, court heard. Picture: Larry Cummins

WARNING: The following article contains details some readers may find upsetting

A 17-year sentence was imposed on Monday on a 45-year-old man for a cold, calculated campaign of sexual abuse and rape carried out over a period of 15 years on his ex-wife and two of his daughters.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

“He coldly engaged in a campaign of rape and sexual assaults on his wife and daughters from 2004 to 2019, during which he threatened and manipulated his wife and daughters and it had devastating effects on his family,” Ms Justice Ring said.

The Director of Public Prosecutions expressed the opinion it was a case that came within the 10 to 15-year sentencing category. Ms Justice Ring disagreed and said it was more serious and she imposed a sentence of 18 and a half years, with the last 18 months suspended.

The accused pleaded guilty to same counts of raping and sexually assaulting his wife and the two children, the charges coming from indictments with 185 counts. One of the victims said the abuse and rapes happened on a daily basis for years.

“These three people endured unspeakable behaviour by their husband and father, turning the family home into a place for him to carry our his deviant acts when they were trapped. None of these women bears any blame. All of that rests on the shoulders of [defendant’s name],” Ms Justice Ring said.

Identification of the parties is prohibited. However, the judge noted one of the victims was further distressed by the fact that at a time when the defendant denied what he had done, he disclosed in the local community what their complaints were, betraying their right to anonymity.

In a case investigated by Detective Sergeant Elaine Scannell and Detective Garda Brian Morris, the accused man was interviewed on five occasions and always denied all of the allegations against him. At one stage, he claimed he might have gone into his daughter’s bedroom when sleep-walking.

It was not until the cases were to be heard by judge and jury that the accused pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Ms Justice Ring noted from defence submissions and background reports he expressed regret and guilt but had a tendency to avoid and diminish his own responsibility.

Ms Justice Ring said as well as sexual assaults, vaginal and oral rape with the penis, the use of an object to rape his wife and daughters made the offences worse and more degrading for the injured parties. Vibrators were used by the accused.

Complaint to gardaí

One of his daughters presented at her local Garda station exactly five years ago in November 2019 and first made the complaint she was being raped and abused by her father. Her mother came forward with similar complaints in respect of herself five months later in April 2020. And by November 2022, a second daughter reported the sex crimes her father carried out on her.

The victims were all present for the sentencing hearing. The judge said that if they would find it too upsetting to hear the summaries of the evidence which the judge was obliged to give in the sentencing, they could leave the court for that portion. However, Det Sgt Scannell said all of them opted to remain in court throughout.

One girl was abused from the age of nine to 16, beginning with sexual abuse and increasing to rapes. On one occasion, she woke to find her father raping her. This happened again at a time when she was preparing for her Junior Cert. After her 16th birthday, the abuse escalated whereby her father began to rape her with a vibrator and did this as many as 25 times.

The defendant’s ex-wife said he raped her even before they were married and it continued throughout their married life until she left the family home. Even when she was seriously ill, the raping continued. 

She began to notice the more she struggled the more excited he seemed so she struggled less. On the first occasion when he raped her in a hotel room before they were married and when they were attending a wedding, he threatened afterwards to kill himself so she did not make a complaint. 

She was also raped with vibrators. Investigating gardaí found he had a collection of these items in the family home.

Threats of what he would do if she complained continued to be a feature of their marriage and on one occasion he left the house in a car with one of the children and there was a car crash, confirming his ex-wife’s fears about his possible reaction to her complaining of being raped.

The defendant’s second daughter recalled incidents where she woke to find her father naked in the bed with her and he had sexual intercourse with her.

Victim impact statement

One daughter said in her victim impact statement the abuse humiliated her and she felt she had lost control of her body. After being raped or sexually assaulted, “she showered and scrubbed herself so hard she was nearly bleeding”. 

His ex-wife reflected on the fact she had been in a coercive, controlling relationship where he took away her confidence and self-worth.

“She blames herself for not seeing what was happening to her daughters in the home,” Ms Justice Ring said but added: “She did nothing wrong. The only person who bears responsibility is [defendant’s name].” 

"One of his daughters said she found safety — not at home — but in the quiet room in her school when the abuse was happening. Another thing that made the abuse worse was that he would take away their pets — which were a great source of comfort at the most difficult times. 

"She finds comfort in knowing that he is in custody and she no longer has to worry about seeing him in the locality. She feels angry about what he did to her at a very young age.

Ms Justice Ring expressed the hope that this young person — and her sister and mother — would begin to layer good experiences and memories over the horrors of her childhood and hopefully go on to lead a happy life and she wished all of them well.

The judge concluded by saying there was no indication of any understanding by the defendant of the offences he carried out or the damage he caused and that hopefully he would reflect on this in jail over the next 17 years.

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