“I hope you are happy knowing you broke your own child”
Galway man Michael O’Donoghue has been jailed for 5 years for sexually abusing his daughter.
His 19-year-old daughter Aimee Foley described him as “a monster, a pedophile, an animal”.
Ms. Foley had to be supported by loved ones after the sentencing.
Her supporters are naturally furious over the sentence.
O’Donoghue was sentenced to just 7 years in prison with the final 2 years suspended.
The court heard he abused his daughter for a period of 6 years when she was on access visits to his house.
Ms. Foley was only 12-years-old when he started abusing her.
He split up with the 19-year-old’s mother when she was just a baby. The court heard that he sexually abused his daughter when his wife and other children were in the house.
His wife continues to support O’Donoghue.
Speaking at court in October, the 19-year-old said O’Donoghue ruined her life.
“You have ruined me. I hope you are happy knowing you broke your own child,” she said.
“I’ve called you dad five times in this statement and I hope every time you heard it, it struck you in your heart,” she added.
“It’s the last time you will ever hear me call you that. You’re not my dad. You’re not my father. You are a monster, a pedophile, an animal.”
Ms. Foley confided in her college friends and mother about the abuse in 2020.
O’Donoghue confessed to police before they had a chance to interview Ms. Foley.
He pleaded guilty to 31 counts of sexual assault, one count of rape, and one count of producing child sexual abuse imagery.
