Courts / Dublin / Report

Sex abuse victim tells court she felt she lived life "in a prison"

Summary

A woman who endured sexual abuse as a child has described feeling imprisoned by the trauma throughout her life. The victim gave evidence at the Central Criminal Court following the conviction of a 66-year-old man on five offences committed in county Donegal and Dublin between 1992 and 1994. The man was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape after a jury trial. In her victim impact statement, the woman outlined how the abuse began when she was approximately ten years old and escalated to rape when she was twelve. She told the court of enduring panic attacks, anxiety, depression and flashbacks in adulthood, which have affected her relationships and employment. The woman also described becoming hypervigilant regarding her own children's safety. Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan adjourned the case to 19 May for sentencing. The defence presented character references and highlighted the defendant's lack of previous convictions and his wife's health dependence on him. The unnamed 66-year-old pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Sex abuse victim tells court she felt she lived life "in a prison". Charges or matters: five offences after a jury trial at the Central Criminal Court last April; three counts of sexual assault between November 1992 and December 1994 and two counts of rape between June and September 1994 at locations in county Donegal and Dublin. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• November 1992 Adjournment
• December 1994 Adjournment
• September 1994 Adjournment
• May 19 Adjournment
• 2017-05-08 Publication

Why: "All my life I have felt that I was living in a prison," she said, adding that she no longer feels a prisoner of her past because she has come forward about the abuse. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report