A 73-YEAR-OLD grandfather who sexually abused a number of young girls in his neighbourhood over an almost 20-year period has been jailed for four years by Judge Patricia Ryan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Thomas Harman abused the children during neighbourhood games of hide and seek, during “driving lessons”, or on visits to his home. He exploited one child’s love of dogs to create opportunities to abuse her during walks.
Harman was urged by the eldest of his victims, as she gave evidence of the impact the abuse had on her life, to look at his hands and think about how many lives they had destroyed.
Harman, with an address at Abbey Grove, Navan, Co Meath, and formerly of Arthur Griffith Park, Lucan, pleaded guilty to eight sample counts of indecent assault and two of sexual assault against three sisters and a fourth girl on dates between 1975 and 1993.
The girls were aged between five and eight years when the assaults on them began in their Dublin neighbourhood, and they were each abused over a period of between 2½ years and five years.
The eldest victim, now 42, described how she had scrubbed her skin raw in a bath of Dettol as a 12-year-old, and turned to selfharm in an attempt to deal with the abuse.
She described her guilt at not speaking out about the abuse and finding out Harman had moved on to her younger sisters. “Abuse is not like a broken leg or arm, and takes a lifetime to heal,” she told Harman. “I will never forgive you for causing so much pain in my life.”
Her younger sister, now 30, said in her victim impact statement which was read to the court, that Harman had robbed her of her innocence as a five-year-old. She said she remembered little of her teenage years, when she had turned to drugs because of the “hurt and pain”.
The youngest sister, now 25, described feeling “ashamed and dirty” after the abuse and said she had started abusing solvents at a young age to escape her feelings. She accepted Harman had pleaded guilty, but said she could not have a second childhood.
The fourth complainant, now 39, said she suffered from depression, and trust and relationship difficulties. She said she left the neighbourhood as soon as she was old enough, and lived with the guilt that she could have prevented someone else being abused.
Judge Ryan said the fact the offences occurred over a long period, and that Harman had been in a position of trust and authority, warranted a custodial sentence. She imposed concurrent sentences totalling four years, and ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders’ register for a period of 10 years.
Det Garda Gabrielle Newton told Caroline Biggs SC, that Harman had abused the girls in his own home, in the Phoenix Park and in his parents’ home in Harolds Cross. He also joined in neighbourhood games of “hide and seek” and abused the children as they hid alone.
The eldest girl described another game he played with her called “jockey back”, when he would carry her on his back, put his fingers inside her pants and penetrate her vagina.
He had first abused the eldest girl by putting his hand inside her pants and fondling her genital area. She described this happening 10 to 12 times per month. She said Harman told her it was their “little secret”.
He also placed her on his lap in his car and fondled her under the guise of teaching her how to drive.
The abuse stopped when she refused to go to the park with him one day.
Her middle sister said Harman first abused her when she was five, when he placed her on his lap in his car. He offered her £1.50 if she would let him put his hands down her trousers. She said she realised she did not like what was happening when she was aged nine.
The youngest sister said she loved dogs and Harman would invite her along when he was walking his dogs by a river over a two-year period, beginning when she was aged eight. She said he would abuse her on wasteland and rub his penis on her bottom.
He also abused her in his car and forced her to masturbate him when she was “mitching” from school, aged 10.
The fourth girl said that at age seven while she was alone with Harman in the sitting room during a visit to his home he fondled her breasts. He also fondled her inside her underpants. He showed her naked pictures of adults on another occasion.
Det Garda Newton said Harman, who has no previous convictions, was arrested after the eldest complainant made a statement to gardaí in 1999. He denied the offences.
Defence counsel Sean Gillane said he did not wish to minimise the incidents or their horrific impact. He said Harman was originally from Rathmines and had worked for a time in the UK as a young man. Mr Gillane said Harman was now a grandfather and cared for his ill wife. Harman has health difficulties including diabetes and asthma.
He said Harman had brought irreparable damage on his reputation and was becoming a “pariah”.
ANONYMITY WAIVED SISTERS 'TRYING TO REBUILD' THEIR LIVES
THE FOUR women who were abused by Thomas Harman waived their right to anonymity.
Sharon Gallagher, the eldest of the three sisters, spoke to journalists afterwards about the effect the abuse had on them.
She described how sad their father was “as he cried when we told him”.
“We’re trying to rebuild our lives. I think the more people stay quiet that it can continue,” she added after leaving court with her sisters Deirdre and Amy Creed.
“I think, just to know a name isn’t good enough. I think you need to see this person,” Ms Gallagher said in reference to her abuser.
“He needs to be named. People in the area need to know who he is and just to be aware of this person in your area and look after your children.”
