Courts

‘Pure evil’ Galway man sentenced to eight years in prison for abuse of three sisters

Martin Davis (67) found guilty of one count of rape and eight counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1981

Ms Justice Melanie Greally said Davis maintains his innocence and does not accept the verdict of the jury.

Claire Henry
Fri Mar 1 2024 - 17:29

Three Galway sisters have described their older brother as a “vile human being, a bully, a monster and pure evil” after he was found guilty of abusing them in the 1970s.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Martin Davis (67) of Churchill, Clifden, was found guilty of one count of rape and eight counts of indecent assault on unknown dates between 1971 and 1981 at an address in Letterfrack in Co Galway. Davis has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence on Friday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said: “It was evident that the offending by the accused has affected all three injured parties.” She noted the extreme trauma and deep pain present in their victim impact statements.

Ms Justice Greally said Davis maintains his innocence and does not accept the verdict of the jury. She said he is a married father of two, and she said she had read the sizeable number of testimonies which were handed into court previously.

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The judge said the aggravating factors in the case were the abuse of three siblings over a prolonged period of time and the breach of trust, which was two-fold – the betrayal of his sibling and the breach of trust of his parents, who had entrusted them into Davis’s care. She noted the age disparity, that all of the offences were committed in the family home and the profound damage this abuse has had on the injured parties.

Ms Justice Greally said the mitigating factors were the absence of any previous convictions, the family circumstances, the contents of the character references, that Davis was in continuous and productive employment, his health issues and that he is now placed on the sex offender register.

Ms Justice Greally sentenced Davis to eight years in prison in total and backdated it to when he went into custody. The judge spoke to the three injured parties in this case, noting “this has been very difficult and bruising for you”. She wished them well for the future.

Speaking outside court, the three complainants – Carmel Connolly, Michelle Davis and Audrey Stanley – encouraged other people to “come forward and get support and not to leave it so long”. “There is help out there,” they said.

“We are so relieved to have the support and relief that somebody believed us,” they said, adding that the gardaí in Clifden were “amazing”.

They thanked the special victim unit and the Director of Public Prosecutions office. “It wasn’t easy, but they made it a lot easier,” they said.

The court heard that Carmel Connelly was 10-years-old and her parents were not at home, she was brought to her bedroom by Davis, who climbed on top of her and raped her. She was crying and he told her to be quiet. She told him to stop, but he did not.

The court heard that Carmel was aged 10 at the time, and Davis was aged between 15 and 16. On a separate occasion, Davis again brought her to the bedroom and abused her. .

A second sister, Michelle Davis, described Davis as being a “bully to her”. When she was aged seven, she saw Davis’s car pulling up outside their house. She ran and hid behind a door.

Davis saw her and dragged her to a back kitchen, where he removed her underwear and anally raped her.

Davis put his hand over her mouth to stop her screams. Davis was aged 23 at the time. On other occasions, he would get her to touch his penis, the court heard.

The court heard a third sister, Audrey Stanley, who was six years younger than Davis, was abused when she was nine years old. The abuse began with tickling games, and then Davis told her it was her turn and to rub his penis. Davis would also touch her genital area.

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