A 59-year-old man has been jailed for 11 and a half years for the assault and rape of his three young cousins, 27 years after he made admissions to gardaí.
Thomas Collins, of the Fair Green, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon, pleaded guilty to 21 sample counts of indecent assault, attempted rape and rape involving the three siblings, the youngest of whom was three years old when the abuse began.
Gerard, Catherine and Gretta Conlon waived their right to anonymity to allow Collins to be named and appealed for other victims to come forward.
Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said Gretta and Catherine Conlon had been pressurised by a garda sergeant to withdraw their complaints after they first made them in 1997, in actions that had "all the hallmarks of misconduct in a public office".
She said it was a case that should have been dealt with "decades ago".
The court heard Gretta and Catherine Conlon were abused regularly by Collins, their older cousin, beginning when they were aged three and six years old.
The abuse started with sexual assaults, escalating to attempted rape and rape.
Collins was 13 when he began abusing them. It continued until he was 27.
When Gretta Conlon said she would tell Collins' mother, he slapped her on the face and threatened to kill her.
Catherine Conlon told gardaí that Collins raped her on a regular basis for around seven years. She only discovered his behaviour was wrong when she left home at the age of 20.
Both women made formal complaints to gardaí in 1997. Collins was interviewed and admitted the assaults, attempted rape and rape in November 1997.
But on 15 December 1997, the judge said Gretta and Catherine Conlon were called into Roscommon Garda Station by a Detective Sergeant Thomas Fitzmaurice, who was not involved in investigating their case.
He told them the complaints "related to matters in the past" and wanted them to drop them.
Both women dropped the complaints a short time later.
They subsequently found out, the judge said, that Det Sgt Fitzmaurice's wife was working with Collins’ wife at the time.
The women complained to gardaí again in June 2002.
Collins stood over his previous admissions.
He said he was sorry for what he had done, that he was very young and did not realise the harm he had caused.
A file was sent to the DPP but no prosecution was directed, despite the admissions.
In 2018, the sisters became aware that Collins had abused another vulnerable woman.
They then went back to gardaí and reactivated their complaints.
Collins received a ten and a half years sentence for these offences last year.
Their brother also complained to gardaí for the first time in 2018.
The court heard he had been sexually and physically assaulted, including an incident where Collins tied him to an electric fence before turning the fence back on.
Mr Conlon was aged between seven and ten years old when he was abused.
Collins initially denied the allegations made by Mr Conlon but subsequently pleaded guilty to all the sample counts earlier this year.
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Ms Justice Ring said she noted the lengthy journey Gretta and Catherine Conlon had been on.
She said 27 years had been travelled to this day and that spoke of the strength the women had, despite the incredible damage done to them by Collins.
She said they had strength, love and support from their brother and she said Collins had not damaged the siblings’ stamina, determination and sense of right.
The judge said they should take pride in their ability to defend themselves as adults in a way they never could as children.
The judge said the case involved prolonged abuse over a 14-year period involving a significant breach of trust.
She said Collins groomed the siblings and assured their silence before the serious abuse began.
He used threats and physical assaults and the children feared him.
In mitigation, she said he pleaded guilty and had made admissions when first confronted in 1997.
She said the case should have been dealt with decades ago.
But she said the sisters were pressurised by their mother and then by the garda sergeant to withdraw their complaints.
She said the actions of Det Sgt Fitzmaurice had "all the hallmarks of misconduct in a public office".
But she said he was not a person of concern in her court.
She sentenced Collins to a total of 12-and-a-half years in jail but suspended the final year.
Speaking outside court, Gretta Conlon said today marked the culmination of decades of struggle, pain and resilience.
She said justice had finally been served for herself, her sister and her brother and after enduring years of sexual, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of Collins, they could now begin the lengthy process of healing.
She said the conviction represented a huge step forward, not just for them, but for every survivor of sexual abuse who had fought tirelessly to have their voice heard.
Ms Conlon said after they had been pressurised into dropping the charges, Collins’ confession sat "untouched" in garda files, allowing him to continue his reign of abuse and inflict unimaginable harm on others.
She said the weight of knowing the system failed them and so many others was heavy, but the outcome of the case proved persistence, courage and the support of determined individuals could lead to justice.
Ms Conlon said waiving their right to anonymity was a deeply difficult decision, and they fully appreciated the potential ramifications.
But she said they had chosen to do so because they believed it was vital for other victims of sexual abuse to come forward.
She urged any other victims to come forward and have their story heard.
Ms Conlon thanked their family and friends for standing by them and giving them the strength to persevere.
She thanked Garda Laura Martin, from Castlerea station, for restoring their faith in An Garda Síochána.
Ms Conlon described the last 27 years as an extremely emotional rollercoaster journey.
But she said she and her sister never gave up, with the support of their brother Gerry.
She described today as a monumental step for them.
