A mother who sexually exploited her young daughter has been handed a 14-year sentence. The west of Ireland woman (47), who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, received concurrent seven-year and five-year sentences respectively for sexually assaulting and ill-treating the girl. The offences took place at the family home between 2004 and 2008.
Evidence heard at a previous sitting of Roscommon Circuit Court revealed that the child was subjected to shocking sexual abuse by her mother as well as by a male neighbour from the age of five.
The court sitting in Longford yesterday heard that her father had pleaded guilty to charges of sexually assaulting his daughter and was due for sentencing later this year.
The neighbour was given an eight-year sentence last year after pleading guilty to rape. That sentence is currently under appeal by the DPP.
The court heard previously that the woman gave the neighbour permission to do as he wished with her daughter and for as long as he liked.
The mother admitted 12 charges, including sexual assault, wilful neglect or ill treatment, as well as using her daughter for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Judge Tony Hunt referred to the "horrifying facts" of the case. What the mother had dished out to the child was "almost beyond belief", he said.
What was particularly distressing was that the abuse did not come from “other eras” but had happened in the last decade. This case should never let anyone be complacent when it came to child abuse and neglect, he said. “I have never personally come across anything equal to the neglect in this case.” He found it almost impossible to determine how a child could deal with the enormity of such abuse.
Referring to the mother, Judge Hunt added: "She was callously indifferent to the fate of her child and acted positively in a hostile way that was inimical to her children."
The effect was and would be profound on the child, while the mother seemed to take the out-of-court view that she had done nothing wrong. It was a breach of ordinary human instincts to inflict harm on your own child and this was so hard to understand, he said.
Imposing a 14-year sentence for the charges of sexual exploitation, the judge said he would suspend the final 4½ years on condition she kept the peace and did not have any contact with her children without consent. He also directed that she comply with a two- year post-release programme under the direction of the Probation Service.
Taken into care
The offences came to light after the girl was taken into care with her two siblings in 2008. She initially said that her mother had been slapping her and later spoke of her mother knocking her over.
In statements from social workers and the child, it emerged she often went without food; she was unable to use utensils or brush her hair when she was taken into care at the age of nine.
Her first foster family became concerned at what they called her sexualised behaviour. They were unable to cope and the child was moved to another foster home.
There she struggled to eat and did not know what it was to feel full. She spoke of several evenings when there was no food in her family home.
In her foster home she ate eight Weetabix to satisfy her hunger, but was unable to clean herself. The child was later found to have bruises and was found to be self-harming by biting herself.
The girl later revealed that the neighbour had told her mother about what he was doing to her and the mother said that it was fine by her, he could do it for as long as he liked.