A fisherman from west Cork who sexually abused four girls over 15 years was yesterday jailed for four years.
Joseph O'Neill (45), from Myross, Union Hall, Co Cork, had pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to seven counts of indecent assault on the girls between 1970 and 1985. He apologised to his victims yesterday in court and said he had no idea at the time what a damaging effect it would have on them later in life.
One of his victims, now in her 20s, said she used to cry herself to sleep and had nightmares as a child as a result of the abuse. She found it difficult to show any emotion after being abused by O'Neill. "I freeze and feel sick when people hug me. I grew up not trusting men or women."
Another of his victims, now in her 30s, said: "I cannot remember a time when I was not sexually assaulted by him. It was a constant threat . . . He terrorised me all through my childhood. He made every waking and sleeping hour a misery. I could do nothing to stop it."
Another, in her 20s, said: "What sickens me most is that he had the trust of adults. I knew as a child what he was like and how sick he was."
Judge Patrick Moran, who had lifted a prohibition on publishing O'Neill's name at the request of his victims, noted the damaging effect of the abuse. Jailing him for four years with a review in 2 1/2 years, he said O'Neill had taken advantage of the girls' innocence.