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Daughter of garda accused tells trial she 'probably' showed journal to mother

Summary

The eldest daughter of a garda accused of raping his wife and committing child cruelty has testified that she "probably" showed a journal she was keeping to her mother. The daughter, now 24, gave evidence in the Central Criminal Court trial of her father, who has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of child cruelty against her and two counts of raping his wife. She described the family home as having an atmosphere of violence and threats, and she recounted an incident where her father ripped her earrings out when she was 10. She began keeping a journal in June 2024 after starting therapy with Jigsaw, which she titled "the story of my life – trauma edition." Under cross-examination, she said she was certain she did not show her mother the journal before making her statement, but admitted that if her mother had asked, she probably would have. The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women and Mr Justice Sean Gillane, with the case expected to last two weeks.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Daughter of garda accused tells trial she 'probably' showed journal to mother. Charges or matters: two counts of child cruelty against her on unknown dates between 2007 and 2024; two counts of raping his wife, this woman's mother, on dates in 2009 and 2021 and to child cruelty of another, younger, daughter. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• June 2024 Incident
• November 2024 Incident
• 2007 and 2024 Incident
• 2009 and 2021 Incident
• 2026-07-02 Publication

Why: The complainant told the jury that she entitled her Jigsaw journal "the story of my life – trauma edition" because "the contents of it are so heavy" and "it was something to make it feel a little less". CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report