Courts / Waterford / Report

Foster mother tells trial she believes abuse allegations

Date
2016-04-28

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Waterford

Summary

During a trial at the Central Criminal Court, a foster mother of a 12‑year‑old boy who was alleged to have been raped by his father and forced to have sex with his mother, stated that she believes the child's accusations. She described the boy as a "total contradiction," noting that he sometimes behaved child‑like and at other times acted and spoke like an adult, including sexual behaviour. She said she found it hard to believe an eight‑ or nine‑year‑old could fabricate such claims, citing an incident when the boy collapsed crying and nearly couldn't breathe. The boy had previously alleged that his father raped him, sexually abused him with a hot poker, forced him to have sex with his mother, filmed some incidents, held a gun to his head, and locked him in a box. The unnamed 12 year old pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Foster mother tells trial she believes abuse allegations. Charges or matters: 16 counts each of sexual exploitation and one charge each of child cruelty. Procedural stage: trial

When:

2007 and 2011 Incident
2016-04-28 Publication

Why: " "I believed the truth of what the child was saying to me because I picked him up off the floor when he collapsed crying, when he nearly couldn't breathe because he was crying so much," she said. CNI source report