Rape survivor Fiona Doyle has said no alarm bells rang when as a child she was treated for a sexually transmitted infection.
“I was brought to the doctor . . . and the doctor told my mother I had warts and they were that bad that I had to go to hospital to have them lasered off. But I didn’t know until I was in my late twenties that I had an STI,” she told last night’s Late Late Show.
She is due to meet with Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Wednesday.
Ms Doyle’s father, Patrick OBrien (72), was jailed for three years on Thursday having been convicted of raping her over a 10-year period. O’Brien was originally released on bail on Monday pending an appeal to a prison sentence of 12 years, nine of which were suspended. However, on Thursday Mr Justice Paul Carney revoked bail in the case.
Yesterday Ms Doyle’s daughter Kristel O’Brien said minimum sentencing was required to give those who had experienced abuse the encouragement to come forward. Referring to a complaint Ms Doyle made to An Garda Síochána in 1989, Ms O’Brien said: “My mum made a complaint 24 years ago and there’s no record of that complaint.” Ms O’Brien said her mother had been invited to meet the Garda Commissioner.
Two protest rallies in support of Ms Doyle are due to continue as planned today despite being organised before her father’s bail was revoked. One rally will be held outside Dáil Éireann’s Kildare Street entrance at 12pm. A second will take place outside Bray Town Council offices at 4pm.