Garda's daughter grew up expecting to be hit, court told

A daughter of a garda accused of raping his wife and committing child cruelty told the Central Criminal Court that she grew up expecting to be hit or disciplined if she did not finish her dinner as a young child. The 48-year-old man denies one count of child cruelty against his now 17-year-old daughter between 2015 and 2024.

He also denies two counts of raping his wife in 2009 and 2021. Furthermore, he pleads not guilty to two counts of child cruelty against his now 24-year-old daughter on unknown dates between 2007 and 2020. He also denies a charge of assault causing harm to this daughter in late 2021 or early 2022, after she had turned 18.

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We grew up knowing if we didn’t eat our dinner, we were going to get hit or given out to.

All parties involved have a statutory right to anonymity. The alleged offenses occurred at two locations in the northwest of the country where the family resided. Jurors were shown a DVD of the then 15-year-old girl's interview with gardaí, recorded in the winter of 2024.

The girl recounted an incident around age seven when her older brother refused to eat his dinner. Her father placed a stick on the table, warning both children to finish their food or face consequences. She could not recall if she was hit, but believed her brother likely was. She described similar incidents involving sticks or utensils between the ages of six and ten, stating, "We grew up knowing if we didn’t eat our dinner, we were going to get hit" or be scolded.

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You don’t like how that feels

She also described an incident around age nine when her younger sister's hand was accidentally caught in a closing door. Her father allegedly placed the sister's hand in the door, remarking, "You don’t like how that feels," before leaving. The girl felt upset, and her father did not speak to her for several days after she told him it was an accident. In another instance, when she was reluctant to vacuum, her father threw a remote control at her shoulder while berating her. Her mother was shopping at the time, and the girl began accompanying her mother more frequently afterward out of fear.

Around September 2023, her father hit her on the head with a hairbrush after she resisted brushing her hair before school. He later told her, "You know why I had to do it. You were a mess." The girl also recalled her father ranting about her mother during a car ride, making her promise not to tell him as he would get in trouble, though she later confided in her older sister. She also described an incident around age eight or nine when he dragged her.

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You know why I had to do it. You were a mess.