A LIMERICK woman who was sexually abused by her uncle when she was a child has taken her fight to the Dáil to have sex offenders tagged and monitored after release from jail.
Sonia Stokes waived her right to anonymity to speak out against rapist Joseph Hogan.
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.
Hogan was released from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise last month after serving 10 years of a 15-year jail sentence. He returned to his native Limerick City the same day.
Last Thursday (April 2), Ms Stokes and fellow abuse survivors met with Sinn Féin representatives at Leinster House in Dublin, including spokesperson Matt Carthy and Senator Maria McCormack.
“As I told the representatives, actions speak louder than words. Survivors need real changes, not empty promises,” Ms Stokes said.
One of the main issues the survivors discussed was electronic tagging for offenders out on bail. Other ideas include automatic protection orders and barring orders to keep offenders away from victims’ homes and workplaces.
“Our main focus now is making sure offenders are properly monitored. We need probation officers to keep track of them and make sure they aren’t housed in hotels, near schools, parks, or tourist areas,” Ms Stokes said.
“Places where vulnerable people are at risk. Placing Joseph Hogan in an area with homeless women and children, as well as tourists who didn’t know his past, was a disgrace. The state must do better at protecting people.
“We are also calling for special facilities for high-risk sex offenders. They should be kept in a controlled environment where they can have their rights without putting the public in danger. Our children need to be safe.”
