Courts / Cork / Report

Court hears victim's entire family have taken side of father found guilty of rape

Summary

Ellen O'Driscoll, aged 24, gave a victim impact statement to the Central Criminal Court on 19 December 2016, saying her family has been torn apart after she accused her father, Patrick O'Driscoll, of repeatedly raping her between 2009 and 2009 when she was 16‑17. She said her mother, sisters, brothers, uncles and aunts all took her father's side, leaving her isolated from the Traveller community. O'Driscoll described the abuse as weekly, involving forced entry into the parents' bedroom, bondage, and rape, after which her father behaved as a normal loving father. She also said she was prevented from attending school and threatened with death if she disclosed the abuse. The trial, held last month, found Patrick O'Driscoll guilty of 61 counts of rape; he denied the charges. He is in custody and will be sentenced by Mr Justice Paul Butler on 17 January 2017. Ellen O'Driscoll was found guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court hears victim's entire family have taken side of father found guilty of rape. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• January 17 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2009 and 2009 Other
• 2008 and 2009 Incident
• 2016-12-19 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report