Courts / Dublin / Report

Judge praises courage of woman abused by uncle to help others 'find their voices'

Date
2026-01-12

Stage
Finding

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A High Court judge has praised a woman who was sexually abused by her uncle for her victim impact statement, which she said would help other survivors 'find their voices'. Justice Karen O'Connor told the woman that she should be proud of what she had done to help other victims. The woman's uncle, now aged 63, had pleaded not guilty to a number of charges but was convicted by a jury following a trial last year on three charges of indecent assault. The offences occurred between February 1988 and December 1988 in the child's grandmother's home, where the uncle was living. The court heard that the then 25-year-old man would regularly get into bed with the then five-year-old child naked and rub his body against her. Ms Justice O'Connor remanded the man in custody and adjourned sentencing to later this month. She spoke directly to the complainant and thanked her for her 'very eloquent and detailed report'.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Judge praises courage of woman abused by uncle to help others 'find their voices'. Charges or matters: a number of charges but was convicted by a jury following a trial last year on three charges of indecent assault. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Convicted

When:

February 1988 Incident
December 1988 Adjournment
2026-01-12 Publication

Why: The judge said teenagers don't have the voice or even the understanding of what happened to them as a child and it is very common for them to become angry because they have no way of expressing the hurt that they are feeling. CNI source report