Stepfather placed on sexual offenders list at Kildare court

“A SCAR like this is for life, not just a court case”.

These were the words of a woman who saw her stepfather placed on the sexual offenders list for sexual assault.

Sergeant Dave Hanrahan outlined how the crime had happened at the family home in Co Kildare on 18 August 2024 when the injured party was walking out of the kitchen when her step-father approached her from behind and grabbed both her breasts, saying: “I always thought you had a fine pair of tits” to the woman who was aged in her 20s at the time.

The woman then made a statement later that evening at her local garda station.

Judge Zaidan noted a two-page victim impact statement (VIS) saying: “the first lines are very poignant” and began quoting from it.

“People tell me I wish I was a strong as you, and I’d say ‘no, you don’t. Nobody knows the hell I went through to be this strong’,” read the judge.

The defendant entered a guilty plea but cannot be identified due to reporting restrictions.

Defending solicitor Tim Kennelly explained that on the day in question his client had been drinking whiskey with his wife but “he drank most of it”.

“He did what he did and is completely remorseful … he took action that could be commended by going into his garda statement and made a full admission,” said Mr Kennelly.

“This could have turned out very differently if he chose a different route, and the injured party had to face a cross-examination,” he added. “That has to go to his credit for taking away that anxiety from the injured party.

“This offence is at the lower end of the scale, it was outside the clothing, he was transmogrified, deeply ashamed, and remorseful, and he has had to deal with this lady’s mother, his wife.

“He was full to the gill of whiskey, he was ossified.

“He has no previous (convictions) not even a parking ticket, so I’m asking you not to come down hard on this man,” said Mr Kennelly in mitigation.

The judge was told the maximum sentence for the case in the district court was six months, with a €5,000 fine.

“The DPP ruled this summary and asked me to deal with it as a minor allegation,” said the judge.

“Fortunately, there were no aggravating features beyond the groping.

“For example, hand to flesh is for more serious than hand to clothing. I won’t go any further.

“Are they still together?” he asked.

“Yes,” said the investigating officer Garda Ronan Harris.

“Has this come between you and your mom?” he asked.

“She was asked to assist in the investigation, but declined,” said Garda Harris.

The judge then read again from the victim impact statement.

“This was not just one incident, but years of coercive control, discussing the heinous sexual crimes of my biological father committed on my siblings and me, and you took advantage of that to me in front of my mother.

The statement continued: “You had a chance to be my father instead of that monster, but you turned my mother against me … “You told me to go off and kill myself, and you put us out of our home … all because of your alcohol.

“What you did to me triggered what happened to me as a five-year-old.

“You rang me the next day to say sorry, and I was silly enough to believe that, because it was all just a set-up to control the narrative.

“You took my mother from me, and you will never know what it is like to grieve for a parent who’s still alive”.

The judge made a point of noting the following line.

“A scar like this is for life, not just for a court case… “One action can have such a huge impact on a person’s life, but I will continue to dance through every storm”.

The judge commented: “Those are very imposing words, because with the victims of sexual impropriety, the trauma is not over when the case is over, the trauma continues.

“Obviously, I will have to put this man on the sexual offenders register, and his name will go down there with rapists and paedophiles; he can’t hide away from that,” said the judge as he fined the man €2,500.

“You’re very lucky you pleaded guilty; if this was contested, you’d have gone to jail”.

At the outset of the hearing, prior to the sentencing, the judge had advised the injured party not to waive her anonymity as she had previously indicated she wanted to do, as he felt it would be too easy to identify her if his details were made public.

Mr Kennelly had initially protested, saying his client was pleading guilty to have the case heard in the district court in Naas on the understanding that his anonymity would be protected.

“I still have the power to name him if you’re not related and you don’t want to be in the papers,” said Judge Desmond Zaidan.

The relationship between the defendant and the injured party was then outlined in court.

“Ah, if your mum is married to your stepfather locals in (named area) could put two and two together,” warned the judge to the injured party who attended court with a sibling.

“The whole point of in camera hearings is to protect the victims, not the perpetrator, but it’s your choice,” he said.

He left the case until a second calling to allow the injured party to consider it further, and when the court reconvened, she told the court she had changed her mind on this.

“You are the boss of your own privacy,” nodded the judge.