A County Galway widower is to present himself at Mountjoy Jail on Friday to begin a five-year sentence for raping his daughter. The matter came to light after the young teenage girl mistakenly believed she had become pregnant and told her sister who revealed it to a teacher.
Mr Justice Carney at the Central Criminal Court agreed to the defendant's request for an opportunity before beginning his sentence to see his elderly, frail mother who is in a home, and placed a stay on the execution of the committal warrant until next Friday.
Mr Justice Carney said he was aware it was official policy not to entertain such humanitarian requests from prisoners sentenced for sex offences. This had been highlighted by the prison chaplaincy service.
"I understand the application of official policy is so cruel that when a parent or other relative dies, the prisoner is brought handcuffed in the dead of night to view the body, and not to allow contact with the family," said Mr Justice Carney.
The 47-year old man pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and five of sexual assault on his daughter on dates in the 1990s. She was aged between 11 - and 14. Det Pat Ferriter told Mr Marcus Daley SC, prosecuting, the defendant said he asked his daughter several times if she minded what was happening and she said she didn't. He said she was his favourite daughter and he thought the world of her. "If she had said stop, I would have stopped," he told gardai. He said his mind "went blank" when she reported she was pregnant because he never intended to hurt her.
He had no previous convictions and had never come to the Garda's notice before this. Mr Con Crowley, defending, said his client was truly remorseful and was anxious to have treatment as well as facing up to his actions. He also wanted his children to have a fresh start in life and had made provisions for them to each have a site on his valuable small-holding as well as to share in a trust fund.