Courts

Man who repeatedly sexually assaulted teenager who babysat his children jailed for six years

Victim says Martin O’Brien (54) was ‘subhuman, a monster and master manipulator’

Áine McHugh, the victim, waived her right to anonymity.
Áine McHugh, the victim, waived her right to anonymity.
Sonya McLean
Mon Dec 16 2024 - 13:47

A man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a teenager who babysat his children has been jailed for six years.

Martin O’Brien (54) of Gurrane, Belclare, Tuam, Co Galway pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual assault on dates between June 1st, 2012 and February 2014.

He has a previous conviction for multiple sexual assault offences against a 10-year-old child when he was aged between 13 and 14 years old. O’Brien got an eight-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay €16,000 to the victim in the case, which he is appealing.

Carl Hanahoe SC, prosecuting, told the court that the victim in this case, Áine McHugh, who was aged between 16 and 17 years old at the time, wishes to waive her anonymity.

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Ms McHugh read her victim impact statement at a previous hearing in July, during which she described O’Brien “as subhuman, a monster and master manipulator” who violated her in every way possible while she cared for his children.

At that earlier hearing prosecuting counsel, Timothy O’Leary SC, told the court that Ms McHugh would often be left speaking to O’Brien when he and his wife returned from a night out. He would stay up chatting to the teenager and give her alcohol.

She later told gardaí she would stay over in the house, sleeping on the couch in the sittingroom and O’Brien would sexually assault her there, while his wife and children slept upstairs.

There were also two occasions when he sexually assaulted her in two different local pubs after she happened to see him on a night out.

Sentencing O’Brien Justice Kerida Naidoo said that Ms McHugh was “a gifted and enthusiastic” traditional musician whom O’Brien hired to babysit his children.

He noted from her victim impact statement that the assaults greatly affected her and that she had described it as “progressively killing me from the inside out”. He noted that she couldn’t apply herself to her studies and struggled with her Leaving Certificate and that she didn’t attend her Debs.

Justice Naidoo set a headline sentence of nine and a half years having taken into account aggravating features of the case including that the assaults were accompanied by “demeaning and hurtful comments”.

He also noted that the abuse happened in O’Brien’s home and that he had been in a position of trust at the time.

Mr Justice Nadioo acknowledged that O’Brien admitted the offending and made an expression of remorse, both in evidence at a previous hearing and in the form of a letter but the judge said he does not accept that the remorse was “entirely genuine” based on comments O’Brien made to his probation officer.

The judge also acknowledged that there were a number of testimonials before the court, including from another former babysitter for the family, who described O’Brien as kind and considerate.

He also accepted evidence that O’Brien’s wife gave at an earlier hearing in which she said he was a good husband and father and an essential source of support to her as she is dealing with a serious illness.

“He is fortunate that his family and friends are happy to stand by him,” Mr Justice Naidoo said before he accepted that O’Brien would find his time in prison more difficult given his wife’s illness.

The judge also acknowledged evidence that there have been posters around the local area in relation to O’Brien and while he said this cannot go towards mitigation, he said the court does not approve of such actions.

Mr Justice Naidoo imposed a six and half year term. He suspended the final six months of the term on strict conditions including that he engage with the Probation Service for 12 months – “in the hope that it will help him gain insight into the impact on the victim”.

Ms McHugh previously read her victim impact statement into the record at the first hearing in July. She described the man as subhuman, a monster, and a sexual predator with animalistic behaviour.

Ms McHugh said O’Brien groomed her and did everything he could to break her down “piece by piece”. “He has destroyed the life I hoped for,” she said.

She said he repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she cared for his children and tried to protect them. “He is a master manipulator, a bully – he violated me in every sense of the word.”

She described his home as the “house of horrors” and said before she entered his home, her life was normal. She was outgoing and enjoyed playing music and swimming.

She said she grappled with insecurity and was anxious to gain independence, which the offer of babysitting for O’Brien gave her. “I innocently looked forward to earning money, but the life that I knew and loved would never be the same.”

She said O’Brien “put effort into grooming me” and described the sexual assaults on her as “relentless”.