Courts / Cork / Report
Father-of-nine who raped teenage daughter is jailed for nine years
Summary
Patrick O'Driscoll, 42, of Codrum, Macroom, was found guilty by a jury of 61 counts of raping his eldest daughter, Ellen O'Driscoll, aged 16 to 17, between 2008 and 2009. He denied the charges. In the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul Butler sentenced him to ten years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended on conditions including no contact with his daughter. The judge noted O'Driscoll's otherwise "blameless life" and his role in rearing the rest of his family. Ellen O'Driscoll, 24, had previously waived anonymity and stated in a victim impact statement that she feels she is serving a life sentence, having been isolated from her family and community after the abuse. The trial highlighted the weekly nature of the assaults and the family's support for O'Driscoll despite the conviction. The sentencing took place after a week‑long trial in November.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Father-of-nine who raped teenage daughter is jailed for nine years. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- 2008 and 2009 Incident
- 2017-01-17 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Ms O'Driscoll (24), who was not in court for the sentence, previously waived her right to anonymity. In her victim impact statement, read out by Garda Michael Dolan, Ms O'Driscoll said she missed her brothers and sisters very much. "We were very close siblings but it was taken away by a very sick man," she said. "I feel I'm serving a life sentence, even though I didn't do anything wrong.
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