Rape bail reversal - A welcome if worrying admission

Yesterday’s decision, and an admission that he was wrong, by Mr Justice Paul Carney in the case brought against Patrick O’Brien, who was convicted of raping his daughter Fiona Doyle over a decade, is welcome.

The relief evident in Ms Doyle’s voice yesterday, after her father was jailed, contrasted vividly with the despair she so plainly expressed on Monday when he walked free. Just as her despair was matched by the anger expressed across the country the relief and vindication she so obviously felt yesterday were shared by more people than she will ever know. Some of those people had planned to protest in Dublin and Bray tomorrow to show their support for her and to express their deep unhappiness with Judge Carney’s initial decision.

That she so gracefully acknowledged Judge Carney’s acceptance that he had erred can only add to the impression that Ms Doyle is a brave and impressive individual. She, despite the trauma the proceedings must have provoked, is a reassuring example to others who, especially earlier this week, may have been reluctant to report abuse to the gardaí.