A 55-yr-old man has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for raping his daughter in her childhood, reports RTE.
The judge in the case praised the dignity and courage of 22-year-old Karen Harkin, from Buncrana, Co. Donegal, who waived the condition of anonymity to allow the name of her father, Michael Carter, to be revealed.
Last month, he was found guilty of one rape and 25 counts of sexually assaulting his daughter when she was between 9 and 12 years old.
The court heard that Carter did not accept the jury’s verdict.
Judge Karen O’Connor said it was a massive breach of trust and sentenced Carter to 11 years in prison, with the last six months suspended, reports RTE.
Ms Harkin’s parents had separated and the court heard that Karen had been abused when she visited to her father’s rented house.
Confirming his influence over the victim, she said that everything was fine with her father until she was nine years old.
Miss Harkin made her first statement to Gardaà in 2018, and Carter was arrested later that year.
He said he “rejected and refuted” any allegations against him, a position he still maintains.
In her victim impact statement, which she read to the court, Ms Harkin said she had come to court not out of happiness or relief, but out of anxiety, pain and guilt.
She said the following months after rape were the worst for her and she was dealing with suicidal thoughts every day.
“The normal course of anyone’s life, the normal experiences young girls have, were so far out of reach for me,” she said, reports RTE.
Judge O’Connor told Miss Harkin that she was already aware of the courage and strength she had shown during the trial. She told her she should be very proud.
Outside of court, Ms Harkin said children should be loved, not taken advantage of.
“He stole my childhood in such a malicious way,” she said, “a childhood I will never get back,” reports RTE.
Ms Harkin told whoever is suffering, they should know they are not alone, and they would be believed.
“As long as you can trust in one person,” she said, “you will be ok,” reports RTE.
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