A father was convicted by a jury yesterday of the rape and incest of two of his daughters over eight years. The 49-year-old alcoholic from the west showed little emotion when the verdicts were announced in the Central Criminal Court.
During the six-day trial, the court heard that a third adult daughter and other siblings had declined to have any part in the case. The defendant's wife told the court she supported her husband and did not believe the allegations. She agreed that her husband had a drink problem but denied he had beaten her, leaving her covered in blood, as the two victims claimed.
The defendant had admitted he had hit his wife when drunk but denied drawing blood. He also denied that he had bullied, struck or sexually abused his children.
The jury of nine men and three women took almost seven hours over two days to find him guilty on 13 charges of rape, incest and indecent assault of his daughters, now aged 26 and 29, on dates in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987. The jury failed to return verdicts on a further seven charges which were listed on the issue paper for its consideration.
When the trial opened last week, the defendant denied a total of 51 charges. Mr Michael Durack SC, prosecuting, told the jury it would be shocked by some of the allegations.
The number of charges was subsequently reduced to 20 following legal discussions. A nolle prosequi was entered in relation to these outstanding charges at the end of the case.
Mrs Justice McGuinness remanded the defendant in custody to November 27th and requested the preparation of both probation and psychiatric reports. Victim impact statements are also to be prepared on his two daughters.
The jury returned 10-2 majority guilty verdicts on 11 of the counts - four rape, four incest and three indecent assault charges. Of these counts, the man was found guilty of raping and committing incest and indecently assaulting the eldest victim in 1979, and he was convicted by unanimous verdicts of indecently assaulting both daughters in 1985.
He was further found guilty of rape and incest of the second victim in 1985, and rape, incest and indecent assault of her in 1986 and 1987.