Courts / Cork / Report

Victim says giving evidence during trial felt like 'being sexually assaulted again in public'

Date
2023-03-13

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Cork

County
Cork

Summary

Kenneth Reilly, 63, was jailed for five years after a jury found him guilty of three counts of indecent assault on his sister‑in‑law, Helene Hallisey Power, between 1982 and 1985 when she was aged 12 to 16. The trial, held in the Central Criminal Court in Cork, concluded in October after a series of allegations that Reilly forced Power to masturbate, photographed her without clothes, and made her watch pornographic films. Power, now 54, testified that the abuse left her feeling "dirty, ashamed, empty and completely confused," and that taking the stand felt like a re‑experience of sexual assault. She described the impact on her mental health and her decision to speak out. Reilly, who has no prior convictions, accepted the verdicts and was sentenced by Ms Justice Creedon to six years, with the final year suspended on conditions, back‑dated to his entry into custody.