A WOMAN who was sexually abused by her uncle when she was a child has warned that the man who was convicted and jailed for her abuse is now free and may be living back in Limerick.
Sonia Stokes, a Limerick native, waived her right to anonymity to speak out against her uncle, Joseph Hogan, for the years of sexual abuse he inflicted on her.
The 61-year-old Limerick man received a 15-year sentence at the Central Criminal Court in 2015 for raping and sexually abusing his niece between 1984 and 1988.
The abuse began when she was was just seven years old.
This week, Ms Stokes told the Limerick Post that she wants to “warn people this man is back on the streets”.
Ms Stokes and other victims of paedophiles are organising a protest and have launched an online petition calling for regulation around sentencing and what should happen after a sex offender is released.
“I fought for years for justice, for my voice to be heard, and for him to be imprisoned and taken off the streets so children can be safe. I never expected to have to fight this fight once more,” Ms Stokes told the Limerick Post.
“I ask people in Limerick to give volume to my voice and to join me at 5.30pm this Thursday at City Hall in Limerick for a peaceful protest to say Limerick wants him out.”
Ms Stokes said her abuser “is a high risk repeat offender, we simply cannot just allow him to share the streets with young children in our city once more”.
One of the organisers of Thursday’s protest in support of Sonya is Leona O’Callaghan, who runs a trauma support group for victims of sexual abuse.
Leona, herself a victim of child sexual abuse, has previously been a main speaker at The Bar of Ireland addressing what she believes is a flawed justice system for survivors.
Leona stated: “ The release of these repeat offenders back onto the same streets as the victims they terrorised is all sorts of wrong.”
“These predators have shown us what they are capable of time and time again. The pain they cause for any child is life-long injuries that myself, Sonya, and many others know all too well. We cannot sit on our hands and watch them repeat this pattern”.
Changes wanted by both Leona and Sonya are outlined in an online petition set up by Leona calling for stricter sentences and post-release conditions for repeat sexual offenders. The petition is available on change.org/p/enforce-stricter-prison-release-conditions-for-repeat-sexual-offenders.
