A woman has described the abuse she suffered at the hands of her brother after he was found guilty of rape. Olivia Payne addressed her brother, Gerry Mooney, 61, during his sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court, telling him, "I hand the filth, shame and disgust of those actions back to you."
Ms Payne described the "real win" for her as having "the inner strength" to reveal the abuse and confront the court proceedings. She twice expressed gratitude to the jury of 11 men and one woman for returning a unanimous guilty verdict earlier this year. "You showed your true cowardice by lying through this process, shame, shame on you," she told Mooney.
Offence in 1982
Mooney, previously of Clonin, Rhode, Co Offaly, was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury earlier this year of the rape and indecent assault of his then 11-year-old sister at their family residence in 1982. He was aged 16 or 17 at the time. He entered a not-guilty plea to the charges and has no prior convictions.
Diarmuid Collins SC, prosecuting, informed the court that Ms Payne wished to waive her entitlement to anonymity in the matter.
Victim's Statement
Presenting her victim impact statement, Ms Payne turned to address her brother directly. She stated that Mooney raped an 11-year-old girl, in their parents' bed, with appalling callousness. "You violated my body in the most calculated manner....with no regard for the horror you were inflicting on me," she continued.
She stated her brother had believed that for more than 40 years, "you had got away with it, but each and every one of those years I have suffered those consequences."
Impact and Gratitude
"The effect will not stop for me today, it may never stop, but I will work on whatever means I can to help me heal my mind," Ms Payne said before adding, "The court will decide the appropriate consequences for your actions."
"I come here today not as a new woman but one who has been vindicated, validated and most importantly believed," she said. She detailed how her anguish has been alleviated by "each and every one of the 11 men and one woman believing me – they handed down a unanimous verdict – I will be forever grateful to each of those 12 people."
She explained she embarked upon "this journey" and disclosed the abuse because "I could not accept he was allowed to go unpunished for his vile actions."
Ms Payne said from her initial contact with the gardaí, she was treated with the "utmost respect and care." "From the very first day, I was assured they would leave no stone unturned," she said.
"The court process has taken a lot longer than I hoped, but I eventually got my day in court," Ms Payne said before once more thanking the jury, who she said had been presented with her brother's "emphatic denials."
"Had he been believed I would have been unjustly branded a liar," Ms Payne said, before adding that Mooney has demonstrated no remorse whatsoever for his actions. "I want to seriously thank the prosecution team, the DPP for seeing the truth in my statement and the members of the garda team led by Sergeant Tracey Goslin for their support and dedication," she said.
Mooney is due to be sentenced next month.
