'Trusted' family friend jailed for 14 years for sexual abuse of two girls

Sonya McLean

A man who became a trusted member of a family after befriending them has been jailed for 14 years for the continual sexual abuse of two of their young daughters in Galway.

Benedick Joel (46) of Carraig Art, Truskey West, Barna, Galway, was convicted following a Central Criminal Court trial last February of 24 counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted anal rape on dates in 2017 and 2018.

The court heard that 10 counts relate to the sexual assault of the younger sister, while the remaining charges, including the attempted anal rape, relate to the older sister.

Joel had pleaded not guilty to the offences. He does not accept the verdicts of the jury.

The court heard that Joel was a family friend and referred to as “Uncle Ben” by the children in the family, in recognition of the depth of their affection and respect they had for him.

While both women – now aged in their 20s - wish for Joel to be named in reporting the case, they do not want to be identified themselves.

Mark Lynam, prosecuting, said that the abuse initially took the form of Joel carrying out “body checks” on the girls, both in his own apartment in Barna and in their family home.

He would also hug them “intensely” while pressing his body up against them.

In one incident, he lay behind one of the girls while she was dozing on the couch watching telly. He tried to rape her while she continually said: “Don’t do it, don’t do it.”

Lynam said in another incident with the younger sister, he assisted her in taking a shower, because she had broken her leg and sexually abused her while she was getting washed.

The younger sister was the first to report the sexual abuse in January 2022. She was 16 years old when she was first interviewed by specialist gardaí. Her older sister then disclosed that she had been similarly abused by Joel.

Joel was arrested, and while he was co-operative with the garda investigation, he denied that anything inappropriate had occurred. He had no explanation as to why the girls would have made the allegations.

He has no previous convictions and has never come to garda attention. He is originally from Nigeria and has worked as a security guard in McDonald's on Shop Street in Galway city for 20 years.

The older sister read her victim impact statement into the record.

She said she suffered depression, anxiety and self-harm and for some time was not able to receive treatment because she could not afford it.

“For over 10 years I carried a weight on my shoulders that I was sure would crush me,” the woman said, adding that it was similar to “a cloud over me with no sunny days”.

She said she failed to make “meaningful connections”.

“There were many milestones that I dreamed of reaching that were ripped away from me,” she said.

She addressed Joel and told him: “I trusted you – my family trusted you – we saw you as a relative.”

“The abuse of trust has been hugely detrimental. You stole my childhood from me – that is something I can never restore,” the woman concluded her statement.

Lynam read the younger sister’s victim impact statement into the record, in which she outlined feeling “a constant state of emotional distress, extreme mood swings, suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety”.

She said she struggled in school and feels that her intelligence was wasted – adding that she “wasted the potential everyone saw in me”.

She said the abuse still impacts her daily life. She does not trust others, especially men and finds herself anxious and scared around them.

The woman said she struggled a lot with keeping stable relationships and friendships and feels depressed and unmotivated.

She said it did not end when the abused ended – instead it followed her into her teenage years and adulthood.

She said the abuse “shaped the way I see others and myself and the way I navigate the world”.

“I am trying to heal and move forward but the reality is that what happened me will always be part of my story,” the woman’s statement read.

Sentencing Joel on Monday, Justice Kerida Naidoo said that it was apparent during the trial and the sentence hearing that both women were “exceedingly bright and articulate” and their lives had been “blighted” by the actions of Joel.

He said Joel impeded their progress, particularly as the abuse occurred during such an important part of their development.

Justice Naidoo acknowledged the “emotional manipulation” of both victims by Joel and said the offences represented “serious degradation” and “a serious breach of trust”.

He said the offences had “enduring impacts” on both women and impacted their “mental health and life in general”.

Justice Naidoo said the case warranted headline sentences of 13 years and nine years before he imposed sentences of 11 years and seven and a half years.

The judge said that it was appropriate that he impose consecutive sentences to reflect that Joel sexually abused two young girls in the one family.

Naidoo then reduced the sentences further before he imposed a global sentence of 15 and half years. He suspended the final 18 months of the term to “encourage victim insight and rehabilitation”.

The court heard that Joel has been living in Ireland for 22 years and working as a security guard at McDonald's for 20 years. He has no previous convictions and has never come to the attention of gardaí.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.