A 15 YEAR OLD girl tried to take her own life after suffering years of horrific sexual abuse by her stepfather, who has been jailed for 10 years by the Central Criminal Court.
He pleaded guilty to charges of raping, buggering and indecently assaulting the girl between 1988 and 1993 when she was aged from eight to 13. The case is to be reviewed after he serves six years' penal servitude.
The teenager tried to alert her mother at one stage but nothing came of it. The gardai were informed when the victim confided in her aunt in 1994. The girl had been branded a liar until her stepfather pleaded guilty to the offences in December 1995.
Mr Justice Kinlen said the former soldier had put the victim through a terrifying nightmare and effectively denied her a normal childhood. "She has been scarred for life," he said.
Mr Anthony Kennedy SC (with Ms Una Ni Raifeartaigh), prosecuting, said the defendant had been discharged from the Army in 1992 because of alcohol abuse.
Mr Kennedy said the defendant married the victim's mother and they had several children together.
The court was told the victim had suffered considerable pain. On one occasion when she thrcatened to get something done about him, her stepfather responded by threatening to "put a knife into her" if she told anybody.
On one occasion, while being sexually assaulted, she repeatedly knocked on the wall of her mother's bedroom, but her mother did not hear her.
On another occasion her stepfather came into the bedroom drunk and molested her while her friend slept in the same room. He then fell asleep on her bed. The victim went downstairs and slept on a couch. He had also abused her while his younger children slept in the same bed.
A psychiatrist, Dr Paul McCarthy, said the girl had tried to commit suicide on two occasions during what he termed "her dreadfully horrific five years".
He said he agreed with a victim impact report which detailed that the victim suffered bad dreams, bouts of crying, nervous attacks, fears for her own sanity and a temptation towards drugs.
However, he felt optimistic for her future as her strong temperament might help her overcome the ordeal. Nevertheless, she would require future counselling.
Mr Patrick Gageby SC, defending, argued that the defendant was aware of the terrible wrong he had done and wished to express his extreme remorse.