The cork man who made life a “living hell” for his former partner and her children will be sentenced next month.
The jury unanimously admitted in a trial earlier this year that a 56-year-old man was found guilty of 58 charges, including two rapes of his partner at the time and 50 sexual assaults.
He was also found guilty of four charges of sexually assaulting her son and one charge of raping a boy. The child was 9 to 11 years old when his mother’s then partner raped him.
The man was also convicted of atrocities against her children. The breach occurred between October 2013 and December 2015.
The man, who could not be named to protect the victim’s anonymity, denied all charges.
A statement about the victim’s impact on the defendant’s former partner, her son and daughter, was read aloud by Shane Costello SC and charged when she appeared in the Central Criminal Court today.
In her statement, the defendant’s ex-partner stated that she was a “strong and independent” woman before she met him, but he robbed her of her identity.
Defendants seemed great at the beginning of their relationship, but this was “for all shows.”
She said she did her best to protect her child, but this was not possible because the defendant was always in control.
She felt it was “sorrow” that the defendant couldn’t go to the children because she locked the interior door of the house.
She said the defendant was a “sick monster” because of his actions against her “innocent” son.
Following the end of the relationship, the defendant stalked her and scared her. She regrets incorporating her man into the life of her family, and she said she was suffering from a nightmare.
The daughter, now in her twenties, said in a statement about the impact on the victim that the defendant never showed affection for her and that her parents’ home was like a “prison.”
She said he made her life a “living hell” while she was studying for Leaving Cert, and she thought her life wasn’t worth living.
She felt the trial was emotional and frightening, but now she feels free because the defendant is no longer in control.
Reading a statement about the impact on his own victims, her son, now 19 years old, told the court that “the child shouldn’t have felt like I did.”
He regarded the accused as his father’s person and stated that he broke his trust.
He said he stood for himself after feeling isolated in the family because he had a secret.
He sought justice “not only for me, but for the child I was with.”
Defendant Thomas Creed SC told Judge Michael McGrath that the defendant would not accept the jury’s verdict.
As evidence during the trial, the defendant stated that the three children were difficult at an early age and that the mother used the allegations to seek help in finding alternative accommodation.
An 11-character reference was provided to the court on behalf of the defendant. These included statements from friends, neighbors, and those who worked with the man.
Some references describe the defendant as a “caring father” and a good friend.
One said he never thought the man’s behavior was inappropriate, adding that he was a “man of a devoted family.”
Creed said the defendant had a reputation for being diligent and worked in a variety of jobs. He loves children and is anxious to offer them the best.
Creed said he was disappointed that the defendant was not in a position to be a full-time father of four young children.
Judge McGrath postponed the judgment on July 7, and held the defendant until that date.
At the trial, I heard that a former male partner had a relationship with the defendant and moved to his house with his three children. The couple had four children in a row.
She said she and the defendant were in bed on an unknown day around Halloween’en in 2013 when he began to grab her. She told him to stop and tried to push him away, but he raped her.
Their relationship was tense, and the woman said the defendant tried to touch her breasts and genitals on a regular basis during 2015.
Dated September-December 2015, the first victims said they felt the defendant snuggling up to her while they were in bed and she felt his penis against her.
She shouted at him, but he kept trying to have sex with her. She left the room and slept in the hall.
Her daughter showed evidence during the trial that her desired life would improve when the family moved to the defendant’s house, but it was not.
She said the defendant would be furious to demand cleaning of the house.
At one point he pulled her out of bed and tore her belongings out of storage. He didn’t allow her to sleep until she cleaned everything up in a particular way.
She said the defendant had to keep the internal door locked and ask for permission to use the bathroom.
Defendants often broke her copybook and told her to resume her homework.
The woman’s son provided evidence in court that the defendant had kicked and beat him.
He said the defendant touched his genitals while taking a shower after several sports trainings.
Defendant also took a shower with him at one point.
The woman’s son said that when he woke up one night, he found a naked accused on him and tried to have sex. But this was interrupted when his mother entered the room.
The court heard that the defendant’s former partner was unaware of the seriousness of the man’s actions towards his son until the trial.
The court also heard from several other witnesses during the trial, including retired Garda, who observed the defendant holding the key to the interior door of his parents’ home.