A 12-YEAR-OLD girl was raped and sexually abused by her older brother after their alcoholic mother abandoned the family following the death of their abusive alcoholic father, a court has heard.
The abuse began after the family’s mother walked out on the family, leaving the then 18-year-old in charge of three younger siblings.
He abused the youngest of them a number of times over the course of a year.
The man, now aged 40, pleaded guilty yesterday to three counts of rape, four counts of indecent assault – including two which were equivalent to oral rape – and one count of buggery on his sister in 1989 at the family home.
The investigating garda told the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork that the victim contacted gardaí in February 2010 and made two detailed statements outlining the catalogue of abuse she suffered at the hands of her brother.
They were members of a large family but the older siblings had all moved away from home because of the abusive nature of their father, who had a serious drink problem.
When he died, their mother, who also had a drink problem, moved away as well.
The four youngest children were left on their own, with the eldest of the four, the accused, effectively in charge. He was working part-time and the other three children, including the victim, ended up only attending school intermittently.
The garda told how one night in 1989, the accused entered his sister’s bedroom on the pretext of introducing her to sexual matters to prepare her for having a boyfriend. This escalated to rape and buggery over the following months.
The garda said that the victim had told of her disgust at the abuse and she found him getting her to perform oral sex the most disgusting. She also spoke of screaming in pain when he penetrated anally on another occasion.
She told gardaí how she used to focus on shining star lights on the ceiling of her bedroom when her brother raped her. The abuse only stopped when he became concerned that she might get pregnant.
The garda said the girl was afraid to tell anyone about the abuse because her mother had told her that she might be taken away from the family home if she made any complaints about how she was faring there living with her siblings.
When he was arrested, the accused said that he did not recall the abuse but he accepted that it was unlikely that his sister was imagining it. He indicated last September that he was pleading guilty to all eight charges against him.
“My bedroom should have been childish and full of innocence. Instead of protecting me, he took away my innocence and breached a trust,” the woman said.
She added that having to tell her family about the abuse was the hardest thing she faced but they were very supportive.
Another sister, the eldest, broke down giving evidence on behalf of her brother, saying that they had all been abused by both their father, and by others who used to mind them, and that as soon as they were old enough, they all moved away from home.
Everyone had suffered but by her sister coming forward and her brother facing up to the charges, some good might come.
“We might have broken the circle once and for all for this family. What happened was unbelievable from start to finish,” she said.
The defendant, who the court heard later went abroad where he became addicted to heroin and developed hepatitis C. He has since recovered. He took the witness box and turned to face his sister as he apologised to her for what he had done.
“I’m very, very sorry for what I did to you and I’m very very sorry for what I failed to do. I know you will never forget what I did but I hope some day, you may be able to forgive me. I am very, very sorry,” he said.
Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded the accused in custody for sentence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin next Monday week and he ordered that his name be placed on the sex offenders register.
