RAPE Crisis Midwest has written to the Minister for Justice calling for the introduction of sentencing guidelines following the sentence imposed by Justice Paul Carney on 72 year old Patrick O’Brien who pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual abuse of his daughter over a ten year period. Justice Carney imposed a 12 year sentence suspending the final nine years and releasing O’Brien on bail pending an appeal. The Limerick organisation has added its voice to the letters sent by Rape Crisis Network Ireland calling for measures to ensure consistency of sentencing of convicted sex offenders.
Verena Tarpey, a solicitor with Rape Crisis Midwest said:”This is not about an individual Judge or case – it is about the public’s confidence in the system. Sentencing such as that imposed on Patrick O’Brien sends out the wrong message to the public.
“Fiona Doyle, who displayed remarkable courage waived her right to anonymity and spoke publicly about her devastation at the outcome. It takes courage for a survivor of sexual assault to speak publicly about abuse”, Ms Tarpey said.
In the Limerick courts this week, a former garda, John Joseph (Jack) Doyle (82) from Thomondgate had 18 months of a two-year sentence suspended after he pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault on four boys, two of whom were polio sufferers.
After the case, Rape Crisis Midwest victim’s liaison representative. Annette Strecham said that “people who commit serious breaches of trust must account for the pain and misery they cause their victims”.
The call for sentencing guidelines comes in the wake of increased demands for the services of Rape Crisis Midwest and other centres.
There has been a 12 per cent increase in survivors taking up counselling and a similar increase in calls, Ms Tarpey told the Limerick Post.
And she warned that such decisions deter victims from coming forward.
