A woman who was sexually abused by her grandfather has said he deserves “every horrible thing that happens” to him and that she hates him for what he did.
The now 22-year-old read a victim impact statement into the record at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court during a sentence hearing for the 79-year-old, who was jailed for seven years for abusing the woman and her younger sister.
The Dublin man had denied the charges but pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial to 11 counts of sexual abuse against the siblings on dates between 2006 and 2020. The older victim was aged between three and 12 years during the abuse, while her younger sister, now aged 13, was aged between five and eight. The offending occurred in his Dublin home and at his granddaughters’ family home in Cavan.
The court heard the abuse came to light in 2020 when the younger sister learned about “touches” and “keeping secrets” in school. She told a teacher her grandfather had been touching her inappropriately. The parents were alerted and later spoke to the girl’s older sister, who confirmed she had also been sexually abused by the man.
A local garda told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, that the man had initially tickled the girls but this escalated to him touching their breasts and genital areas both inside and outside their clothing.
The older sibling was interviewed by specialist gardaí in May 2020 and her sister was interviewed the next month. The older sibling said her grandfather had been molesting her for “as long as I can remember” and it happened “every time we were alone together”. He told her not to tell anyone about the abuse as she would not be believed.
The man was arrested in October 2020 but made no admissions.
In her victim impact statement, the now 22-year-old said she struggled to understand what was happening as a child and was sworn to secrecy. She said she had intended to take that secret to her grave but it left her with “a desperate need and want for control” which led to her developing an eating disorder.
She said many people in the family did not believe them, including their grandmother, the accused’s wife. She said all but one of her uncles sided with her grandfather and she has refused to have anything to do with those who stand alongside a paedophile.
Speaking to her grandfather, she said she did not care what sentence he received. “If what my grandmother, your wife, told me is true about heaven and hell, then I know exactly where you are going,” she said. “You deserve every horrible thing that happens you. I hate you for what you did to me and my sister.”
The complainants’ mother read a victim impact statement on behalf of the younger girl. She said their lives had been turned upside down and thrown into chaos as a result of his actions. She said the fact the man denied the charges and made liars out of her daughters “added salt to the wound”.
Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, said his client now “takes full responsibility for what was a serious breach of trust, which has left the victims with very serious consequences for their health and happiness”.
Judge Elva Duffy imposed consecutive sentences of three years for the sexual assault of the younger girl and four years for the assault on the older victim. “Nothing this court does can take away the suffering,” she said.
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