Cork man who made partner and children's lives 'living hell' to be sentenced for rape
Eimear Dodd
A Cork man who made life a "living hell" for his former partner and her children will be sentenced next month.
A jury unanimously found the 56-year-old man guilty at a trial earlier this year of 58 charges, including two counts of raping his then-partner and 50 counts of sexually assaulting her.
He was also found guilty of four counts of sexually assaulting her son and one count of raping the boy. The child was aged between nine and 11 when his mother's then-partner raped him.
The man was also convicted of charges of cruelty towards her children. The offending took place between October 2013 and December 2015.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the victims' anonymity, denied all the charges.
All for show
Victim impact statements made by the accused's former partner, her son and daughter were read out by Shane Costello SC, prosecuting during a sitting of the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday.
In her statement, the defendant's ex-partner said she had been a "strong and independent" woman before meeting him, but he had taken away her identity.
The defendant had seemed nice at the start of their relationship, but this was "all for show".
She said she had done her best to protect her children, but this was impossible as the defendant was always in control.
She found it "heartbreaking" that she could not get to her children as the defendant locked the internal doors of the house.
She said the defendant was a "sick monster" for his behaviour towards her "innocent" son.
Following the end of the relationship, the defendant had stalked her, leaving her terrified, she said. She added that she regrets bringing the man into her family's life and suffers from nightmares.
'Living hell'
Her daughter, now in her 20s, said in her victim impact statement that the defendant never showed her any affection and the family home was like a "prison".
She said he made her life a "living hell" while she was studying for the Leaving Certificate exams and she thought her life was not worth living.
She found the trial emotional and scary, but she now felt free because the defendant could no longer control anyone.
Reading his own victim impact statement, the woman's son, now 19, told the court "no child should have felt like I did".
He said he considered the defendant to be a father figure and the man had broken that trust.
He said he was standing up for himself after feeling isolated within his family because he was carrying a secret. He asked for justice "not just for me but for the child I was".
Thomas Creed SC, defending, told Mr Justice Michael McGrath that the defendant does not accept the jury's verdicts.
In evidence during the trial, the defendant said the three children had been difficult during their early years and their mother used the allegations to get help to find alternative accommodation.
Eleven character references were provided to the court on behalf of the defendant. These included statements from friends, neighbours and people who had worked with the man. Several references described the defendant as a "caring father" and a good friend.
One said they had never found the man's behaviour to be inappropriate and added he was a "dedicated family man".
Mr Creed said the defendant had a reputation of being hardworking and had worked in a variety of jobs. He loves his children and is anxious to provide the best for them, he added.
Mr Creed said the defendant is disappointed he is not in a position to be a full-time father to his four younger children.
Mr Justice McGrath adjourned the case for sentencing on July 7th, remanding the defendant in custody until this date.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/, or visit Rape Crisis Help.
In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
