'Money can't buy me what I have lost' - trial ongoing over alleged historic sexual abuse in Waterford
Waterford courthouse.
A man in his 70’s is on trial for historic sexual assault in Waterford. The man is accused of sexually assaulting his daughter and son at a house in Waterford over 30 years ago.
The trial is being held in camera at Waterford Circuit Court before a jury of four women and eight men.
The parties involved in the case cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The man is accused of one count of sexual assault against his daughter and four counts of sexual abuse against his son.
Paul Green SC and Gareth Hayden BL are acting as defence counsel for the accused. State Prosecutor Dylan Redmond is acting on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Judge Eugene O'Kelly is presiding over the trial.
The jury first heard evidence from the daughter of the accused, now a middle-aged woman. The woman described her upbringing as unhappy and filled with tension and anxiety. Her mother, now deceased, was described as a "very angry woman" who was prone to various illnesses. She said: “There was always a tension in the house.”
The mother would have several stays in hospital.
While the mother was in hospital, the household duties would fall to the daughter. From the age of eight, the witness was in charge of taking care of the house, cooking food, cleaning, washing laundry and taking care of her younger brother.
She described how her father would drink more whenever her mother was in hospital, and bring her into pubs. She described how one night in her early to mid teens, her father was drinking and telling her how ‘good’ she was at keeping the house in order, telling her if she ‘was his wife’ then there would be no problems. At this point, the woman said that he kissed her and put his tongue in her mouth. Mr Redmond asked her how she felt, to which she responded: “Terrifying.”
Mr Redmond asked how this encounter differed from normative father/daughter affection. She said: “He put his tongue in my mouth.”
The woman left the home in her early adult years and told her later husband about the incident. The husband confirmed her account on the stand, recalling that at the time they spoke about going to "the guards or therapy".
Defence barrister Paul Green suggested to the complainant that her father kissed her in an affectionate way but did not put his tongue in her mouth. She replied: "I was in the room, you were not and it did happen."
Mr Green tried to suggest to her that there was a financial motive behind her accusations. She responded: "Money can't buy me what I have lost."
The son of the accused gave evidence on the stand, describing the background to the charges. He described the home in similar terms as his sister, as a place of tension and unhappiness. He spoke about how on an evening in summer 1990, his parents had an argument while driving. The father forced his mother and sister out of the car and drove home. When his mother returned, she sent him to bed early.
He stated that his father came into his room soon afterwards, telling him ‘Don't mind her, she's in a bad mood'. He described that he proceeded to kiss him and put his tongue in his mouth, eventually putting his hand into his underpants. The man said that this kind of incident happened on three other occasions. He said: "You're kind of laying there, you know it's wrong."
The man left home in his teen years after getting a job. In 2018, he sent a letter to his parents, outlining how his mother’s physical abuse and his father’s sexual abuse had left both him and his sister traumatised and depressed. In the letter he requested money to be split between him and his sister.
When asked about the letter, the complainant said: "Growing up in that house, money was everything. Money was his God."
He explained that asking for money was a way of "getting him back" for the abuse.
The accused was detained and arrested by Gardaí in 2021. He denied all the accusations put to him. He admitted to licking his son's face while he was crying and kissing his daughter, stating: "If there's anything wrong with that I'm sorry."
The trial continues.
