The High Court has awarded Grace Odumosu €232,360 in damages for childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by her uncle by marriage, Patrick Caffrey, over approximately five years.
Mr Justice Paul Coffey delivered judgment on 22 July 2026. Liability was no longer disputed because Odumosu had obtained judgment in default of defence in October 2024. The hearing concerned only the amount of damages.
The court found that the abuse began when Odumosu was about eight and continued until she was 13. She frequently stayed at Caffrey’s family home after difficulties developed between her parents. Her mother regarded the house as a safe place, while Odumosu was particularly close to Caffrey’s wife and daughter.
The judge accepted Odumosu’s evidence that the abuse included repeated inappropriate kissing and touching beneath her clothing. Psychiatric evidence also recorded touching of her breasts and Caffrey placing his tongue in her mouth. The court found that the abuse repeatedly exploited a position of family trust during important years of her emotional and sexual development.
Caffrey had pleaded guilty in the Circuit Criminal Court in November 2021 to 21 sexual assault counts involving Odumosu and other family members.
Mr Justice Coffey found that Odumosu continued to experience difficulties with trust, intimacy and sexual relationships. A psychiatrist diagnosed Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder and recommended psychosexual and mindfulness therapy.
The judge also accepted that disclosure of the abuse caused further trauma and family fragmentation. Odumosu became estranged from relatives and had carried feelings of guilt about the impact on others, although the court stressed those consequences were not her responsibility.
General damages were assessed at €175,000 for suffering to date and €50,000 for future suffering. A further €7,360 was awarded for psychotherapy, recommended psychosexual therapy and a mindfulness course, bringing the total to €232,360.