Woman 'feels free today' after man jailed for sexually abusing her when she was teenage babysitter
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A man who repeatedly sexually assaulted his teenage babysitter 10 years ago has been jailed for six years.
Martin O’Brien (aged 54) of Gurrane, Belclare, Tuam, Co Galway, pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual assault on dates between June 1, 2012 and February 2014.
He has a previous conviction for multiple sexual assault offences against a 10-year-old child when he was between 13 and 14 years old. This conviction is under appeal and he had contested the case.
O’Brien got an eight-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay €16,000 to the victim in that case.
Carl Hanahoe SC, prosecuting, told the court that the victim in this case, Áine McHugh, who was aged between 16 and 17 years old at the time, wishes to waive her anonymity.
Ms McHugh read her victim impact statement at a previous hearing in July, during which she described O’Brien “as sub-human, a monster and master manipulator” who violated her in every way possible while she cared for his children.
At that earlier hearing prosecuting counsel, Timothy O’Leary SC, told the court that Ms McHugh would often be left speaking to O’Brien when he and his wife returned from a night out. He would stay up chatting to the teenager and give her alcohol.
She later told gardaí she would stay over in the house, sleeping on the couch in the sitting room and O’Brien would sexually assault her there, while his wife and children slept upstairs.
There were also two occasions when he sexually assaulted her in two different local pubs after she happened to see him on a night out.
Sentencing O’Brien on Monday, Justice Kerida Naidoo said that Ms McHugh was “a gifted and enthusiastic” traditional musician whom O’Brien recruited to babysit his children.
He noted from her victim impact statement that the assaults greatly affected her and that she had described it as “progressively killing me from the inside out”. He noted that she couldn’t apply herself to her studies and struggled with her Leaving Certificate and that she didn’t attend her Debs.
Justice Naidoo set a headline sentence of nine-and-a-half years having taken into account aggravating features of the case including that the assaults were accompanied by “demeaning and hurtful comments”.
He also noted that the abuse happened in O’Brien’s home and that he had been in a position of trust at the time.
Mr Justice Nadioo acknowledged that O’Brien admitted the offending and made an expression of remorse, both in evidence at a previous hearing and in the form of a letter, but the judge said he does not accept that the remorse was “entirely genuine” based on comments O’Brien made to his probation officer.
The judge also acknowledged that there were a number of testimonials before the court, including from a former babysitter for the family, who described O’Brien as kind and considerate.
He also accepted evidence that O’Brien’s wife gave at an earlier hearing in which she said he was a good husband and father and an essential source of support to her as she is dealing with a serious illness.
“He is fortunate that his family and friends are happy to stand by him,” Mr Justice Naidoo said before he accepted that O’Brien would find his time in prison more difficult given his wife’s illness.
The judge also acknowledged evidence that there have been posters around the local area in relation to O’Brien and while he said this cannot go towards mitigation for O’Brien, he said the court does not approve of such actions.
Mr Justice Naidoo imposed a sentence of six-and-a-half years. He suspended the final six months of the term on strict conditions including that he engage with the Probation Service for 12 months — “in the hope that it will help him gain insight into the impact on the victim”.
Ms McHugh previously read her victim impact statement into the record at the first hearing in July. She described the man as sub-human, a monster, and a sexual predator with animalistic behaviour.
Ms McHugh said O’Brien groomed her and did everything he could to break her down “piece by piece”. “He has destroyed the life I hoped for,” she said.
She said he repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she cared for his children and tried to protect them. “He is a master manipulator, a bully — he violated me in every sense of the word.”
She described his home as the “house of horrors” and said before she entered his home, her life was normal. She was outgoing and enjoyed playing music and swimming.
She said she grappled with insecurity and was anxious to gain independence, which the offer of babysitting for O’Brien gave her.
She said O’Brien “put effort into grooming me” and described the sexual assaults on her as “relentless”.
She said O’Brien also made comments about her body and appearance, using derogatory language and teasing her. He told her he discussed her weight with his own wife and how one member of her extended family agreed with him that they were concerned about the girl’s weight.
“His objective was to isolate me and it worked. He knew I would feel ashamed and embarrassed,” she said, adding she never went to discos because of her lack of confidence.
Ms McHugh said she can still smell him, can still feel him smothering her while he lay on top of her as he sexually assaulted her in his family home.
She continued:
She began to refuse to babysit for O’Brien, but her mother couldn’t understand why she would not go. As far as her parents were concerned, the man’s home was a safe place.
“I felt trapped and completely powerless. That is where he wanted me,” she said.
She spoke of how she felt she would be better off if he killed her. She began to pull away from people because she felt unworthy of love, dirty and disgusting.
She said O’Brien found ways to get to her and followed her and antagonised her, referring to the sexual assaults in the pubs. “I was not safe anywhere,” she said.
“The best days of my life were stolen from me. I was battling alcohol and drug addiction. I did everything to try and remove myself from my own body,” she continued adding she went to bed at night “praying I would not wake up”.
She said she distanced herself from her family. “My anger was fuelled by self-hatred and self-loathing all because of what I endured at his hands.”
“I have lived my twenties in isolation. My sense of self and place has been stolen from me,” Ms McHugh continued, before she said that her parents moved house as they had originally lived very close to O'Brien.
She spoke of how she struggled to cope in the years, months and weeks leading up to the trial date. “It has taken so much from me and so much time from me.” She said on the day O’Brien pleaded guilty, the sense of relief she felt was “immense”.
“I did not win anything but it confirmed that the end was near,” she continued adding that the “mental, physical and emotional torture” she experienced was nearly over.
“I have to live carrying the burden of what he did to me every day,” she said adding that she does not go to certain places for fear of seeing him.
“I cannot escape what he did to me, even when I go to sleep,” she said. “It has destroyed my life. Why didn’t he just kill me?”
“What would I be like if he had not sexually abused me?” she asked. “I will carry the pain and trauma of this abuse forever.”
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She ended her statement thanking her parents, friends and partner and said she is intending to put effort into creating a future for herself.
"I am Áine McHugh and I have waived my right to anonymity because I no longer carry feelings of guilt or shame. Today, I return all guilt and shame back to where it belongs, to Martin O’Brien, who forced this suffering on me and later my parents and family.
"Sexual abuse manifests and festers in silence, I know because I suffered in silence. Secrets and silence enable the perpetrators. To the adults who stay silent and decide to ignore or look the other way: that guilt and shame also belongs to you.
"I want to speak to every child or teenager who has suffered or is suffering sexual abuse, if you can hear me, please know that you have done nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with you. Please tell an adult you trust. To the adults who may receive their disclosure: please listen, help them and do the right thing.
"I never thought that I would be free of this, but I have survived, and I feel free today. He no longer controls my life.
"I will be forever grateful to those who sought justice before me. Their bravery and the courage of their convictions gave me hope in my darkest days. I would also like to thank the detectives and gardaí in the Galway Divisional Protective Services Unit, as well as the Galway and Dublin Rape Crisis Centres for their dedication, professionalism, and support."
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