An Irish judge has revoked bail in the case of a serial rapist who abused his daughter for a decade.
There was public outcry when 72-year-old child rapist Patrick O'Brien was granted bail and walked free from Dublin’s Central Criminal Court last Monday, after he was sentenced to the repeated rape of his daughter Fiona, but was granted bail to appeal.
O'Brien was sentenced to 12 years in jail, with nine years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to 16 charges of the rape and indecent assault of his daughter.
Mr Justice Paul Carney revoked his bail on Thursday and expressed regret over his initial decision.
"I express Ms Doyle my profound regret for the distress that has been caused to her in this case," the judge said.
Read More: Enda Kenny shocked as man who raped daughter for 10-years released on bail
He said he was fully aware of the gravity of the case but that he had a mandatory obligation to take account of the health situation of the accused, who is on constant oxygen and under the care of medics.
Fiona Doyle, from Bray Co. Wicklow, who waived her right to anonymity, was raped by her father once a week, for ten years, starting after her first holy communion in 1973.
Outside the court Doyle told reporters she finally felt vindicated and was over whelmed by the support of the public over the sentencing controversy.
"I accept judge Carney's regret in what happened,” she said.
“I was overwhelmed by the support, the media support, the people of Bray,” she said.
“They picked me up and carried me the last four days, like my children and my family."
The 47-year-old expressed relief over the sentencing. "I have waited for this day for over 20 years since I first brought the first complaint to the gardai and the HSE," she said.
"They were like everybody else, my schools, teachers, doctors, hospitals, they let me down. Nobody believed."
In her statement she encouraged victims of sexual abuse to come forward.
"Look at my face today compared to last week," she said. "It’s been a rough ride, but it's worth it."
She added later: "Somebody will listen to you. Somebody will come on board."
The Irish Prime Minister agreed to meet with Fiona Doyle, “to hear her view, as a victim of unspeakable horror, as to a perspective on how a victim would see the court system working," he said.
Doyle said she was looking forward to her meeting next Wednesday with the Irish leader.
6 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Jan 27, 2013, 01:14 PM EST
Don't pretend to understand the need to go public? This case should have been heard in camera, like all family law cases. Smacks of vindictiveness to me. Smacks of a media circus to me. And not a little celebrity victimhood. All memory is reconstruction. We all face our own karma in the end.
eiriamach | Jan 26, 2013, 09:45 AM EST
It looks like the Irish judiciary is finally hearing the strong voice of Irish mothers, girls, and single women. Deo gratias!
SarahinLA | Jan 25, 2013, 12:35 PM EST
palmeiras, I am not proud, I am very proud. Ireland is a great place to visit for a week or two, to catch up with family and old friends, but I could never liver there again. The archaic thinking that permeates society there would drive me over the edge. The gombeenism, evidenced this week by the Healy-Raes and judge Carney, would drive me to drink excessively.
palmeiras | Jan 25, 2013, 12:15 PM EST
SarahinLA, if you are ashamed of your Irish connections, that's your decision; but are u proud of your "great" adopted country. Vietnam, Iraq and many other murderous invasions. Also, today is the 40 th anniversary of Roe v Wade. What a gift your new country gave to the world. Now, go watch your violent movie and make sure all your 7 guns (national U.S. average) are fully loaded.
Searlit | Jan 25, 2013, 12:11 PM EST
Thank God this man is finally in custody! These kind of horrors happen all over the world. There are sick people everywhere. It's very sad that nothing was done about this abuse for 40 years! What a great Taoiseach, Enda Kenny!
SarahinLA | Jan 25, 2013, 10:44 AM EST
Reading and hearing about the way this poor lady was treated in relation to her repeated rape by her sick father makes me ashamed to have Irish connections. I heard last night that this lady, when a young lady, filed a report with the police (garda), but there is no record of this complaint. She was treated at a hospital in Ireland for a sexually transmitted disease while very young and no-one at that hospital saw fit to report it. The old practice in Ireland of 'turning a blind eye'. Then this judge, having sentenced her father to 12 years, with 9 suspended, granted him bail to appeal. Disgraceful justice. The judge then, influenced by public opinion reversed his decision and confined the man to custody.This is akin to Herrod's treatment of Jesus in the bible. On top of all this, those gombeen people called Healy-Rae are making fools of Irish people globally. Not a good week for Ireland. Many of them are living seventy years in the past. I am glad I escaped.