Jail for rape and abuse of brother: 'He became my biggest villain'- victim
A man has been jailed for eight years for the repeated sexual abuse and rape of his younger brother. Over a decade, John Murphy abused his brother, who was aged between 10 and 20. The abuse took place in the family home in a town in Cork between 1988 and 1997.
The Central Criminal Court heard that the victim, now in his 40s, wished to waive his anonymity so that his abuser could be identified. Murphy, aged 45, formerly of Waterfall, Co Cork, pleaded guilty last April to 12 sample counts, including three of oral rape.
Today, Mr Justice Michael White described the breach of trust as fundamental, saying the brotherly relationship was “cruelly violated”. He set a headline sentence of 13 years, which he reduced to 10 in consideration of the man’s admissions to gardaí and subsequent guilty pleas.
Mr Justice White suspended the last two years on condition that Murphy engage with psychological services and victim-focused work while in custody and stay under Probation Service supervision for that period. He ordered Murphy to undergo assessment for a sex offender treatment programme.
Reading his victim impact statement to the court, the victim said he had been on a long and horrendous journey. “When John decided to do what what he did to me, he imposed a life sentence on me,” he said.
He said Murphy took advantage of a child’s innocence to satisfy his own sexual desire.
I looked at him as a big brother and a hero. He looked at me as a sexual object. He became my biggest villain
He said his brother groomed him and manipulated him and as a result, the victim began to pull away from family and friends and became angry and violent in the family home.
“I was lashing out. I was screaming out for help in the wrong way. Every aspect of my life was falling apart,” he said. He said he is now no longer a victim. “I am a survivor. I am free of his disgusting and sick secret.
“I give back to John the shame, the loneliness, the resentment, the hatred that he gave to me over 30 years ago. He will carry this burden for the rest of his life,” he said.
