‘Our brother is a vile human being, a bully, a monster, pure evil’

Sisters speak out as rapist is jailed for eight years

THREE sisters have described their older brother as a ‘vile human being, a bully, a monster and pure evil’ after he was found guilty of abusing them in the 1970s.

The Central Criminal Court heard Martin Davis was found guilty of one count of rape and eight counts of indecent assault on unknown dates between 1971 and 1981 at an address in Letterfrack, Co. Galway.

Davis, 67, of Churchill, Clifden, Co. Galway, has no previous convictions. Passing sentence yesterday, Judge Melanie Greally noted the extreme trauma and deep pain present in the victim

‘There is help out there’

impact statements.

Judge Greally said Davis, a married father-of-two, maintains his innocence and does not accept the verdict of the jury. She said she had read the sizeable number of testimonies which were handed into court previously.

The judge said the aggravating factors were the abuse of three siblings over a prolonged period of time and the breach of trust, which was twofold – the vile betrayal of his siblings and the breach of trust of his parents, who had entrusted them into Davis’s care. She noted the age disparity, that all of the offences were committed in the family home and the profound damage this abuse has had on the injured parties.

Judge Greally said the mitigating factors were the absence of any previous convictions, the family circumstances, the contents of the character references, that Davis was in continuous and productive employment, his health issues and that he is now placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Judge Greally sentenced Davis to eight years in prison in total and backdated it to when he went into custody. The judge spoke to the three injured parties in this case, noting: ‘This has been very difficult and bruising for you’.

She wished them well for the future. Speaking outside court, the three complainants – Carmel Connolly, Michelle Davis and Audrey Stanley – encouraged other people to ‘come forward and get support and not to leave it so long’. ‘There is help out there,’ they said. They also said that ‘we are so relieved to have the support and relief that somebody believed us’, adding that the gardaí in Clifden were ‘amazing’.

They thanked the special victim unit and the Director of Public Prosecutions office.

‘It wasn’t easy, but they made it a lot easier,’ they said.

At a previous hearing, Detective Garda Michael Griffin told Róisín Lacey, prosecuting, that in April 2018, Davis called to Clifden Garda Station to complain about an incident where he was verbally abused by his sister in a pub in Clifden.

Davis wanted the matter noted but did not wish to make a complaint. Gardaí called the home of his sister, Audrey Stanley, and she told them she had called him a ‘paedophile’. She told the gardaí what she said was true and she made a statement to the gardaí.

Det Gda Griffin said two other sisters of Davis also made complaints to the gardaí. The court heard that Carmel Connelly was a younger sister of Davis, – then aged between 15 and 16 – and was raped and otherwise abused when she was ten years old.

Another sister, Michelle Davis, described Davis as being a ‘bully’. When she was aged seven, she was anally raped by her brother, who was then aged 23. On other occasions, he would get her to touch his penis, the court heard.

The court heard another sister, Audrey Stanley, who was six years younger than Davis, was abused when she was nine years old.

Davis was arrested and interviewed in September 2018. He denied all charges of rape and indecent assault. He told gardaí that his sisters were motivated by spite as they had been excluded from their mother’s will.

Det Gda Griffin agreed with Philip Rahn, defending, that his client was a juvenile for the majority of the offending.

Carmel Connelly read her victim impact statement to the court.

‘I was very happy and innocent, then I felt shame and fear, feeling I was to blame and unable to tell anyone,’ she said.

She said she was ‘abused by a monster’, adding that Davis was ‘a vile human being’. She said he had offered ‘no apology or remorse and continues to be a bully’.

Audrey Stanley also read her victim impact statement, which said: ‘The only person I protected was him with my silence. I not only let evil triumph, I let it thrive. And I will carry that guilt to my grave.’

Michelle Davis’s victim impact statement was read to the court by a family member who said she has ‘suffered unbelievable emotional and psychological pain and struggled with depression and anxiety’.

He offered ‘no remorse’