Absence of food or proper clothing, child cruelty and abuse, a drink culture, no sexual barriers or boundaries – it all added up to a nightmare childhood for the victim in this case.
She was just five when the serious abuse started. Her mother sexually abused her and also admitted child cruelty, her neighbour was allowed rape her and now, Roscommon Circuit Court, sitting in Longford yesterday, heard her father has pleaded guilty to another tranche of charges involving the sexual abuse of his daughter.
At a previous court sitting, Judge Tony Hunt was told the victim had not made a formal victim impact statement. But in an informal statement she made and read to the court by Det Garda Mary Tarpey, the girl, who is now 15, said she had never felt protected and was very sad. She had found the change of homes – she was taken into care in 2009 and lived in two foster homes – very upsetting.
‘Everyday life’
“I try not to think of the crime. I thought it was everyday life and I was too afraid to tell anyone,” she said.
She spoke of several evenings when there was no food in her original family home. In her foster home she ate eight Weetabix to satisfy her hunger, but was unable to clean herself. The child was later found to have bruises and was discovered to be self-harming by biting herself.
Three categories
The mother admitted 12 charges, which fell into three categories, the court heard: sexual exploitation of the child, sexual abuse and child cruelty.
She had been out on bail while awaiting sentence and attended a scheduled meeting with the Probation Service early last month. But at this meeting she made a series of threats.
She threatened to harm the girl if she did not clear her name and also threatened to kill her husband and wreck his house.
Det Insp Pat Finlay said he became aware of the threat by the woman to kill her husband, damage the house and harm her daughter if she did not clear the mother’s name. He was concerned the threats would be followed through.
Det Insp Finlay confirmed gardaí were monitoring the homes of the woman’s husband and the foster home of her children.
As sentence was passed in Longford yesterday, gardaí involved in the case were present to bring some sense of finality to the proceedings.
The woman herself sat quietly in court as Judge Hunt outlined in detail the reasoning behind the sentence.
She was led away by a prison officer to a holding cell in the basement of the courthouse immediately after learning her fate.