Courts / Westmeath / Report
'Goodbye Cian': sister tells abuser brother that he'll no longer 'take space in her head'
Summary
Abuse Survivor Aoife Farrelly has waived her anonymity to allow her brother, Cian Farrelly (30), to be named in connection with the rape and sexual assault of his sister at the family home in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath, between 2007 and 2009. Farrelly pleaded guilty to the charges at the Central Criminal Court. The victim, who was aged between seven and eight and a half at the time of the abuse, while Farrelly was aged between 15 and a half and 17 years old, described the impact of the abuse on her life, including self-harm, disordered eating, anxiety, stress, and OCD. She stated that she had undergone counselling, psychotherapy, and inpatient treatment for PTSD. During the sentencing hearing, Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that Ms Farrelly's childhood was destroyed and she was deeply affected by the abuse. He handed down a four-and-a-half year sentence and suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions, including that Farrelly have no contact of any kind with his sister. Speaking outside court, Ms Farrelly said she was pleased with the sentence that was handed down, saying that the headline sentence the judge mentioned was 'enough' for her. The matter was adjourned for the submission of reports, including a probation report and a report from forensic psychological services. Cian Farrelly took the stand at the end of the hearing to apologise to his sister.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Goodbye Cian': sister tells abuser brother that he'll no longer 'take space in her head'. Charges or matters: rape and sexual assault of his sister at the family home on dates between 2007 and 2009. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- October 2020 Incident
- 2007 and 2009 Incident
- 2022-06-28 Publication
Why: When I got that I just broke down because everything I sacrificed for years has finally made it all worth it. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: rape and sexual assault of his sister at the family home on dates between 2007 and 2009 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He handed down a four-and-a-half year sentence and suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions, including that Farrelly have no contact of any kind with his sister. Speaking outside court, Ms Farrelly said she was pleased with the sentence that was handed down, saying that the headline sentence the judge mentioned was "enough" for her. "I'm a lot more content now than I was," she told reporters. "No sentence would have been long enough at all….but just hearing the headline sentence was enough for me. "I always said it had to be three to five (years).
Places mentioned
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