Waterford man jailed for prolonged sexual abuse of young daughter at family home

A Waterford man who sexually abused his young daughter and forced her to watch pornography has been jailed for 12 years.

James O'Reilly (63) was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of oral rape, five counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexual exploitation at the family home in Waterford on dates between 2010 and 2014.

During a sentencing hearing, the court heard the injured party -  Bridget O'Reilly -  was waiving her right to anonymity to allow O'Reilly, of Williamstown Halting Site, Waterford to be named.

O'Reilly’s son Thomas gave a character reference on his father’s behalf and said he and his mother were in court to support the him. O'Reilly is the father of a large family.

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Imposing sentence, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said this was an “egregious breach of trust” by a father towards his daughter.

She said the offending took place over a significant period of time, was “accompanied by a level of violence and threats” and took place in the family home where the injured party, a young child, should have been safe and protected.

Ms Justice Creedon noted there had been no acknowledgement by O'Reilly of the verdicts, and no expressions of remorse or empathy towards the complainant.

The judge said there was “very little by way of mitigation”, but noted that O'Reilly's previous convictions do not include sexual offences.

She set a headline sentence of 13 years and suspended the final year for 12 months on strict conditions, including that O'Reilly place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service post-release.

Speaking outside court, Ms O'Reilly said she wanted other children who have been victims of abuse to know that “when one door closes, another one door will always open”.

“It's hard but it will get easier at the end. It was not easy, but I'm really happy that I got the justice I deserve,” she said.

Ms O'Reilly said she wanted other victims of abuse to know that it's “not easy, but they will get there”.

An investigating garda previously told prosecuting counsel that the offending occurred when the complainant was aged between six and 10 years old.

The abuse included oral rape and sexual assault, involving inappropriate touching. She was also sexually exploited by being forced to watch pornography by her father and being forced to watch him touch his own penis.

She said that her father would slap and hit her when she did not comply. She said her father was not supposed to do that, that he was meant to love and take care of her. She said he told her it was her fault because she made him do it.

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The case involved four trials. The first was aborted due to a legal issue, in the second the jury failed to reach agreement and in the third the jury were discharged. In the fourth trial, O'Reilly was convicted of all nine charges by the jury.

He has three previous convictions for unrelated offences.

Ms O'Reilly described in her victim impact statement the devastating effects of the abuse on her life. She outlined the ongoing issues she has, including feeling unsafe and worrying for her family’s safety. She thanked those who had supported her.

Defence counsel asked the court to consider the comprehensive probation report before the court and that O'Reilly had been assessed as at low risk of reoffending. He said O'Reilly had no issues with alcohol or substance misuse and has several health issues.

Counsel asked the court to take into account the lack of previous offending. He asked that, in line with the probation report suggestions, the sentence would include a period of probation supervision. He asked the court to be as lenient as possible.