Courts

Judge notes man’s lack of remorse as he is jailed for raping teenage stepdaughter

Ms Justice Rind tells Anthony Byrne (55) it is difficult to understand how any sexual encounter with a child could be considered consensual

Anthony Byrne (55) was found guilty in May by a Central Criminal Court jury of two counts of raping Kim Jordan in 2002. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
Niamh O'Donoghue
Wed Jul 31 2024 - 18:38

A man who raped his stepdaughter on her 15th birthday has been jailed for 9½ years at the Central Criminal Court.

Anthony Byrne (55) was found guilty in May by a jury of two counts of raping Kim Jordan (now aged 36) in 2002. Ms Jordan waived her anonymity to allow Byrne to be named.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, who previously noted that Byrne had said he was “having an affair with his teenage stepdaughter”, sentenced him to 11 years with the final 18 months suspended and backdated it to May 15th last for time spent in custody.

Byrne, of Ballyfermot Road, Dublin 10, came into Ms Jordan’s life when she was three years old and the court heard the relationship was significant for her as they were close when she was a child. The court heard the offending occurred when Ms Jordan was in Spain on the day of her 15th birthday in 2002 and several months later in her family home.

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Ms Jordan made a complaint to gardaí in 2018 and outlined what had happened.

When she was on a family holiday in Spain, she decided to go back to the apartment to have a shower before dinner. Byrne was drinking a beer and while they were playing cards, he asked her if they could play strip poker until she was down to her underwear.

When she was having a shower, he asked if he could enter the bathroom to use the toilet. He then dropped his shorts and insisted on washing her. She said she was very embarrassed and started crying. She had clothes laid out on the bed to get dressed quickly and then Byrne said he was going to dry her.

Ms Jordan said she zoned out and became completely numb while Byrne raped her and was wishing she was dead. She later worried that she would become pregnant.

The second count of rape which Byrne was convicted of happened some months after the holiday. Ms Jordan said Byrne came into her bedroom and took off her trousers and underwear. He tried to penetrate her but was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

Ms Justice Ring said the aggravating factors were that Byrne had raped a child who was his stepdaughter. She said Byrne took advantage of the victim when there was no trustworthy adult present. The fact the second rape took place in Ms Jordan’s bedroom, where she should have felt secure, was a breach of safety, the judge said.

Ms Justice Ring noted Byrne admitted throughout that he had sexual intercourse with Ms Jordan but it was his view that it was consensual. The judge said it was difficult to understand how any sexual encounter with a child was considered consensual. She said there was a lack of remorse and understanding of what consent is.

The judge noted that Byrne had no previous convictions and has worked for his whole life.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Jordan said Byrne had blamed her during the trial for his actions.

“I felt humiliated and shamed, as you portrayed me to be some kind of teenage sexual temptress,” she said.

“After spending my very early years wondering why my biological father wasn’t around and why my family was broken, I felt as though my prayers had been answered and I finally had the family I longed for when Tony came into my life and that I finally had a dad. Little did I know his plan was to use me for his sick sexual pleasures and [he] would go on to ruin my life.”

The court heard Ms Jordan and her sister have continued a relationship despite Byrne trying to keep them apart.