Cork teenager could not look at baby after being raped by brother

Man already in jail is sentenced to further six and half years in prison 

When the victim was aged 15 she was raped and made pregnant by her 19-year-old brother.

A teenager was so traumatised at becoming pregnant after being raped by her older brother that she dreaded seeing her baby or even seeing photographs of the infant.

Today her brother was sentenced for the rape — adding years to time he is already serving for an unrelated crime — and now has a total sentence to serve of 18 years.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said that because the rape and another assault on his sister were carried out while he was on bail for a previous offence of assault causing serious bodily harm to a child, the sentences had to be consecutive. She also said that the totality of the sentence which the accused would have to serve had to be taken into consideration. And his age, 25, was also a factor.

He was already serving eleven and a half years for the unrelated assault causing serious harm to a child. For raping his sister, Judge Lankford imposed a sentence of eight years, the last 18 months suspended. That left him with the total jail sentence of 18 years to serve.

When the victim was aged 15 she was raped and made pregnant by her 19-year-old brother. When she made the complaint of rape he was questioned and admitted it to gardaí.

The victim said the crime impacted her in every aspect of her life: her ability to trust people, her anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and entering any relationship.

“She finds it hard to move on. She kept coming back to this matter in her head. She was extremely upset at bringing her baby into the world. She could not even look at the baby or even see photographs. She worries about explaining to the child how they came into the world,” the judge said.

The accused was sexually abused in his own childhood which was so dysfunctional that he did not see himself belonging anywhere.

Months before the rape there was an offence of assault causing harm on his sister where he caught her face and caused injury to her mouth and teeth at the family home. For that assault he was given a three-year sentence which will not add to the total jail term of 18 years.

The judge said that by far the most serious mitigating factor in the case was the defendant’s plea of guilty. It was also noted that he has taken advantage of educational opportunities given to him in prison and was also dealing with his mental health issues. The prison governor’s report confirmed that the young man is not posing problems for the prison management. Also noted were the infrequency of visits to the young prisoner.

Judge Lankford said the accused had expressed remorse but added that this might sound hollow to the victim. The judge said: “The victim impact statement was extremely short but one of the most eloquent I have seen.” 

There is a legal prohibition on identifying parties in this case.

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