A 54-yr-old father was sentenced to six years in prison for regularly sexually abusing the teenage babysitter for his children, reports RTE.
Between June 1, 2012, and February 2014, Martin O’Brien, of Gurrane, Belclare, Tuam, Co. Galway, entered a guilty plea to four counts of sexual assault.
The victim, Áine McHugh, who was 16–17 years old at the time, wants to give up her identity, prosecutors told the Central Criminal Court, reports RTE.
She portrayed O’Brien “as sub-human, a monster and master manipulator” who molested her in every manner while she was taking care of his children, according to her victim impact statement, which she read at a prior hearing in July.
Timothy O’Leary, the prosecution attorney, stated during that hearing that O’Brien would frequently offer Ms. McHugh wine after he and his wife returned from a night out, leaving her talking to him.
Later, she informed the gardaí that O’Brien would sexually abuse her while his wife and kids slept upstairs, and she would stay over and sleep on the couch in the living room, reports RTE.
She happened to see him on a night out, and he sexually abused her twice in two separate local bars.
Ms. McHugh was “a gifted and enthusiastic” traditional musician who O’Brien hired to watch his kids, according to Mr. Justice Kerida Naidoo, reports RTE.
According to her victim impact statement, the court observed that she was deeply impacted by the attacks and that she had said they were “progressively killing me from the inside out.”
He saw that she struggled with her Leaving Certificate, was unable to put in the effort necessary for her academics, and skipped her debt meetings, reports RTE.
Given the aggravating circumstances of the case, such as the fact that the attacks were accompanied by “demeaning and hurtful comments,” Mr. Justice Naidoo imposed a maximum sentence of nine and a half years.
He said that O’Brien had been in a position of trust at the time and that the abuse had taken place at his house, reports RTE.
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