A convicted child abuser who sexually assaulted two teenage girls while he was acting as their Taekwon-Do instructor has been jailed for two years.
Both women, now aged 20 and 23 years old, waived their anonymity allowing Patrick Kelly (52) to be identified in reporting the case.
Kelly is already serving a nine year prison sentence, handed down in December 2017, for sexual assault and exploitation of two children. He is also serving a consecutive term of four years, imposed last month, for rape, sexual assault and exploitation of a girl he groomed after he met her at a city bus stop.
Kelly of Ballyfermot Road, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting the first teenager by kissing her with force and by grabbing her bottom. These offences took place on unknown dates sometime in mid 2014.
Kelly also pleaded guilty to assaulting the second victim by grabbing her bottom, placing a hand on her bottom and kissing her neck. These three offences took place on unknown dates between July 2011 and July 2012.
On Wednesday Judge Melanie Greally imposed a two year term of imprisonment which she said should begin today.
She acknowledged that while the offences before her were for a less serious offence than those dealt with previously, Kelly’s crime had a devastating impact on both women.
Judge Greally noted that Kelly had been engaging in “lewd sexual communication” with both girls via text message. She said he had initiated the contact and described it as “deeply inappropriate” and totally unwanted.
Kelly began texting one victim at the age of 12 and in one message he asked her if she knew what an orgasm was and said if she wanted one to come down to his house. He would also make reference to her body and always told her to delete the messages from her phone.
Judge Greally said the offences represented a gross breach of trust in that he was their Taekwon-Do instructor and also referred to the fact that Kelly was embraced into one of the girl’s family from a very young age.
“Both girls have suffered lasting damage as a consequence of these events. They have experienced great fear, loss of trust and confidence,” Judge Greally said, adding that Kelly caused considerable harm at a very sensitive time in their development.
She noted that Kelly had pleaded guilty and co-operated with the garda investigation and said she was also taking into account a five-year post release supervision order which had been handed down during the sentencing in the Central Criminal Court last month.
Impact statements
Judge Greally addressed both women in court and thanked them for “sticking with the process and giving your victim impact statement.” She said she hoped that bringing a conclusion to the whole process “will help you move on with your lives”.
The first girl, now aged 20 years old, began taking Taekwon-Do lessons with Kelly when she was six years old. Reading her victim impact statement she said she stood in court not as a victim but as a survivor who is trying to move on.
She said she had been left with scars that she doesn’t think will ever go away. She said the abuse “began with manipulation before you ever put your hands on me”.
She referred to what Kelly did to her mind and how he made her feel alone.
“You wanted me to keep your secrets but they were all yours,” she said. She added that she will never be able to explain the fear she felt praying that he would not come near her, or when she walked past his home or saw a white van like Kelly’s.
“You made me feel so uncomfortable in my own body because of your snide comments,” she continued before she described Kelly as getting “inside my head”.
She described how her whole family thought he was “an amazing man”. The woman described “night terrors” and said she couldn’t get away from Kelly in her sleep.
“The feeling of fear still has not left me. The panic was so much worse when you all of a sudden stopped talking to me,” she continued.
“The whole process has nearly broken me,” the woman continued, referring to the fact that Kelly pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial, she said “dragging your guilty plea to the last minute”.
“Your dirty secrets are out and this is the last time I will speak in your presence,” the woman concluded.
In her victim impact statement read out by prosecution counsel Gerardine Small BL, the second woman described how the abuse has left her uncomfortable speaking to men. She said she is glad he has pleaded guilty and owned up to things he has done.