Man who abused partner's vulnerable niece jailed for 12.5 years

Fiona Ferguson

A man who sexually abused his partner's niece when she was at her “most innocent and vulnerable” has been jailed for 12 and a half years.

Martin Ward (64) of St Brigid's Terrace, Portumna, Co Galway, was convicted by a jury of 27 counts of sexually abusing the child at Towerhill, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary on dates between 2000 and 2004.

He was found guilty of three counts of rape, nine counts of oral rape and 15 counts of sexual assault following the Central Criminal Court in April.

The complainant in the case, Martina Ward, waived her right to anonymity so her abuser could be named, the court heard.

The court was told that the abuse occurred after Ms Ward was sent to live with her aunt and her aunt's partner, Martin Ward, as a result of difficulties within her own family.

An investigating garda told Karl Hanohoe, prosecuting, that following the death of the girl's mother, Ward's behaviour changed and he began coming into her bedroom at night under the guise of comforting her.

It started with hugging and kissing but escalated to inappropriate touching. He told her to keep it a secret.

The court heard Ward devised a game called "rat spying" where the child would look out the window and count rats in the yard next door while he sexually abused her. He also devised a "lollipop game" which involved oral rape.

Ms Ward further described three incidents of rape by the defendant, including on the day of her confirmation when he acted as her sponsor and another time in a car when they were dumping rubbish.

She was taken into foster care in 2004 before going to live with her grandmother, which brought the abuse to an end.

The matter was reported to gardaí in 2024 and Ward was arrested but made no admissions. He claimed the allegations were motivated by financial gain. He has eight previous convictions for road traffic offences.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Ward said “the only thing I want here today is justice”. She said Ward had manipulated her for his sexual gratification and stole what was left of her childhood.

She outlined how she had spent years trying to forget what happened and felt abandoned and alone.

She said she had been called a liar, attention seeker and money grabber.

“There is not enough money in the world to replace what you took from me,” she told Ward.

She told Ward she wanted him to hear how his actions had affected her at the time and every day since. She said she had been stuck in “fight or flight” for most of her life and was imprisoned in her mind. She told of flashbacks, panic and nightmares. She said relationships have been affected and she doesn’t feel safe.

She said Ward would not set her free by admitting what he had done and instead put her through a trial.

She said Ward had taken her confirmation, which should have been a happy day and turned it into a nightmare. She said he had stood in “God’s holy church” as her sponsor and made promises which were broken hours later when he raped her.

She described how she became the first in her family to do her Leaving Certificate but said Ward had taken her future plans from her as she struggled with her mental health afterwards.

She told Ward that after today he no longer has control; she is taking it back and setting the little girl she had been free. She said he had shown no mercy or remorse.

Sentencing

Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Melanie Greally said Ms Ward's “cogent and powerful” statement showed the “intense pain and suffering” the abuse caused her.

“He manipulated her when she was at her most innocent and vulnerable,” she said, noting Ward “instilled fear in her”.

“She has been profoundly damaged in every area of her life as a result of the abuse she suffered,” Judge Greally said.

The judge set a headline sentence of 16 years, taking the aggravating factors into account, including the breach of trust as Ward was in loco parentis at the time of the abuse, the multiplicity of offending, the seriousness of the offending and the age disparity between them.

She noted he made threats to ensure her compliance and emotionally manipulated her.

The judge reduced the sentence to 12.5 years taking mitigation into account including Ward's absence of related convictions, the evidence of his current partner who supports him and his community work.

At a previous sentence hearing, Patrick Gageby, defending, submitted there had been a significant lapse in time since the matter, in excess of 22 years ago. He said the defence accepts the issue has been determined by the jury and that Ward has run out of road.

The court heard he has been in a relationship for 22 years and is the father of four children. He is very helpful to neighbours and involved in work in his community.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.