Limerick man 'invaded my home, my body, my mind and every part of my being', abuse case hears
Tom White (pictured) was convicted on 10 counts of indecent assault for abuse between 1972 and 1973. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
A survivor of a series of sexual assaults which took place 50 years ago has said her abuser “invaded my home, my body, my mind, and every part of my being”.
In her victim impact statement, the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons and is now in her 60s, said she was forced to live her whole life “with great confusion, shame, and a deep sense of loneliness.”Â
She was speaking after her 75-year-old abuser was publicly named for the first time following his sentence hearing in Dublin Central Criminal Court.
Pensioner Tom White, a retired electrician and married father of three, from Brookhaven, Montpelier, Co Limerick, was convicted on 10 counts of indecent assault for abuse between 1972 and 1973.
His trial took place in Limerick Criminal Court in February over a week, during which White attended with members of his family.
The jury later delivered unanimous verdicts on all charges and acquitted him of one charge of rape. White pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.
His victim, aged between 13 and 16 years at the time, told the court in her evidence that Mr White was the son of her family’s housekeeper.
They lived across the road from each other at the time at Glencoe, Fort Mary Park, North Circular Road in Co Limerick at the time of the abuse. White’s mother was hired by the then-teenager’s father, after her mother, who was an alcoholic, left the family home.
The court was told the children grew up in a dysfunctional and hostile environment, and after their mother left, a neighbour was hired to help out. “I was terrified of him and her," the woman said in her evidence.
She accused White, who is nine years her senior, of sexually abusing her many times, as well as mocking and jeering her body parts in front of others.
She said the abuse included putting his hands down her trousers and rubbing his fingers around her private parts, and carrying out several sexual acts, including “dry humping” her and “grinding” against her and groping her breasts.
He would say she had a “hairy box” and that it was “sticky” or “wet" in front of others in the home.
In her victim impact statement read out at the Dublin Central Criminal Court, by Philip Rahn SC, she said: “I was a happy child, with all the innocence that goes with childhood.
“My carefree childhood ended from the day Tom White, my abuser, invaded my home, my body, my mind, and every part of my being.
“This invasion shaped my destiny for every day over the next 50 years.
“Having lived with great confusion, shame and a deep sense of loneliness, every part of my life was negatively impacted by the horror that I experienced by that man.
“My childhood memories are marred by his sexual abuse and later.
“My future was to be extremely challenging; my mental and physical health greatly suffered for 50 years. I have endured extremely low self-esteem and always found it difficult to navigate social situations."
The woman said she cannot trust anyone due to the actions of Tom White on her and that her choice to live “a wholesome, peaceful life was cruelly removed by that man".Â
She wrote:
She went on to say that she was “coercively controlled” and that had led to “anxiety and stress” and that she was always “filled with fear”, which led to “hyperventilation”.Â
The woman said she made herself vomit after eating and that this became a daily habit and that she would pinch herself on the back of her knees until it hurt as a way of coping.
“I was unable to tell anyone what happened to me,” she wrote. “I had a virtual wall around myself because of the life-changing experience I suffered by Tom White.
“I struggle daily with post-traumatic stress."
She said she ran away from education, lost all her friends and school pals “because of that man”.Â
Tom White sat in the dock for the 20-minute hearing, while members of his family sat close by. He stared at the ground as the victim impact statement was read out.
Several members of his family sat in a row close to him.
The victim sat at the back of the court with members of her family.
Mark Nicholas SC for White had highlighted the challenges faced with historical cases and on Monday told the court his client “is 75, married 50 years, and has three children".
“He has a full history of work, which came out in the trial; he has continued to work up to retirement,” he said.
He asked Justice Eileen Creedon to consider a non-custodial sentence.
Mr Rahn SC for the DPP said the abuse was at the serious end of the scale and that the maximum for each count of abuse could carry a sentence of up to two years.
The victim said she wanted to remain anonymous, but she believed there was no reason for White not to be named publicly, which is the legal entitlement of the victim to do so, once the perpetrator has been found guilty in a court of law.
The case has been adjourned until June 15.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
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