Courts / Ireland / Report

Grandmother said she would have 'locked up' husband if complainant told her about alleged abuse

Summary

In a trial held on 18 May 2023, a 63‑year‑old woman was charged with assaulting her nephew and granddaughter and assisting her son in an alleged anal rape of her granddaughter. She also faced charges of concealing the rape. The case involves her 66‑year‑old husband and three sons, aged 38, 40 and 41, who are charged with sexually abusing four children in the family between 1999 and 2005. The indictment contains 126 counts. All five defendants denied the charges. During the hearing, the grandmother told Gardaí that if her daughter had informed her about her husband's alleged abuse, she would have had him "locked up". She said she was unaware of any abuse until a 2016 interview and that DNA evidence revealed her husband had fathered a child with her daughter. The trial continued before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Grandmother said she would have 'locked up' husband if complainant told her about alleged abuse. Charges or matters: 25 charges, including two charges of anal rape of his granddaughter; one count of while knowing that her son, the second accused, was guilty of anal rape, of concealing the effects by giving her granddaughter an adult diaper and convincing her not to return to her parents; assault causing harm to her nephew, the first male complainant and her granddaughter; 31 charges against his sister, the second female complainant, including 23 charges of rape, five counts of sexual assault and three counts of oral rape. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• November 2016 Other
• 1999 and 2005 Incident
• 2023-05-18 Publication

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Trial

Read the original CNI report