A CORK man who was described by his daughter as her “childhood monster” has been jailed for 12 years for raping and sexually abusing her throughout her childhood.
The 45-year-old man pleaded guilty to four counts of raping and seven counts of sexually assaulting his daughter between March 1993 and December 1998.
Mr Justice Paul Carney handed down a 12-year jail term and declared the man a sex offender. He also ordered him to undergo 18 months post-release supervision.
The judge noted the break of trust, the age of the victim and the long period of abuse. In the man’s favour the judge noted his guilty plea.
The abuse started when the victim was eight and the father threatened that if she told anyone her brothers would be taken away.
When the girl was 13, her mother found out about the abuse and confronted the father, who admitted everything. He was thrown out of the house.
The now 26-year-old cried as she read her victim impact statement. “I used to dread when we were alone or when he took me for a spin in the car because I knew what would happen.”
She told the court that she was raped “almost every day” and had “lived a tortured life”. The court heard that she abused drink and drugs as a result of the abuse. She suffered from depression, often feeling suicidal, and struggled with male relationships.
At one point in court the woman asked her father angrily: “Why did you hurt me?”