A convicted rapist who served eight years for a brutal attack was granted custody of his child following a brief family law hearing, despite the mother's objections and her own violent history with him. The case has drawn criticism from political figures like Independent TD Paul Gogarty, highlighting concerns about how family courts operate. The mother describes her year without her child as emotionally devastating and fears for her child’s wellbeing while in custody of the convicted rapist.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A convicted rapist who served a lengthy prison term for a horrific attack on a woman was granted custody of his child after a brief family law hearing, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
asserted
Mail → convict → Sunday
The child was removed from the custody of their ‘heartbroken’ mother and ordered to live with their father in spite of his criminal record.
And they have remained in the custody of the convicted rapist for more than a year as the case continues to make its way through the clogged family court system.
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case → remove → system
The details of the harrowing case sparked a political backlash this weekend amid growing demands for reform of our family courts.
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details → spark → courts
Independent TD Paul Gogarty said the case ‘reflects the serious questions that campaigning groups and elected representatives have been raising about how the family court system operates’.
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system → say → that
The mother said she has suffered a year of ‘heartbreak’ since the child was removed from her care.
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child → say → care
She told the MoS: ‘I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
‘Not having them here in the morning, bringing them to school, having dinner with them and putting them to bed.
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I → tell → bed
After all their life with me, they were just taken away.’
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they → take → me
The woman sought a protection order against her former partner after their relationship broke down when he violently attacked her.
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he → seek → her
‘He pushed me to the ground and spat at me,’ she recalled.
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she → push → me
‘After I got the order, he was furious.
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he → get → order
He said to me: “I’ll get you for this”.’
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I → say → this
The woman said she only became aware of her former partner’s sinister past after she became pregnant with their child.
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she → say → child
He was previously jailed for eight years after he was convicted in a brutal rape case that made national headlines.
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that → jail → headlines
She told the MoS: ‘There was a comment made about him and his behaviour with drink at a family function, and that was the first I heard.
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I → tell → function
‘He originally told me it was a “miscarriage of justice”.
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it → tell → justice
He told people in the town she [the victim] cried rape when she tried to break it off.
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she → tell → it
‘He soon showed his true colours.
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He → show → colours
He is very controlling and does not like anyone answering back to him.’
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anyone → like → him
The mother said she has suffered a year of ‘heartbreak’ since the child was removed from her care
The fallout escalated last summer while she was on holiday in another EU state with her child and extended family.
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she → say → child
One night, while the family were enjoying a meal at a restaurant, they were stunned when local police turned up, saying they received a welfare report regarding the child.
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they → enjoy → child
The mother learned her ex had contacted the local police from his home in Ireland after seeing pictures of the event on social media, claiming she was ‘drunk’.
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she → learn → media
‘Two police men arrived and spoke to us, apologised and said, “have a nice evening” and left.
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men → arrive → evening
They [the police] were embarrassed, we were embarrassed, but that was that,’ she said.
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she → say → ?
The next day, the mother was further shocked to discover her ex had flown to where the family was staying.
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family → shock → ?
‘I couldn’t believe my eyes.
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I → believe → eyes
I was in shock, but I didn’t want to scare my child.
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I → want → child
He said he was taking our child home.
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he → say → child
I couldn’t believe it, but I really didn’t want a spectacle in front of them.
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I → believe → them
He made up some excuse to them [the child] about something going on at home, and that they had to go home early with him.
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they → make → him
‘I reluctantly agreed so as not to frighten them and told them I would book the earliest flight home.’
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I → agree → flight
She flew back the next day and went straight to her former partner’s house to take her child home.
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She → fly → child
‘But he refused,’ she said.
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she → refuse → ?
‘I couldn’t believe what was happening.
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what → believe → ?
I went to the gardaí in shock and they said it was a family court matter and their hands were tied.
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hands → go → shock
‘I also learned he had taken a safety order out against me without me knowing, alleging I was being mentally abusive or something.
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I → learn → me
I soon realised he had it all planned.’
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it → realise → ?
The case came before the family courts a few days later.
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case → come → courts
The mother was confident the courts would order the child be returned to her care.
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child → order → care
But she was astonished when the judge ordered the child should remain with the father pending a full hearing.
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child → astonish → hearing
‘Without hearing any of the facts, other than him saying he made a welfare report to local police, the judge said my child was to stay with him until there was a full hearing.
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child → hear → him
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
