DEMAND FOR VICTIMS’ HELP
from me. He could have if he wanted to stand behind me in a shop after the court case,” said Amy.
Byrne and Ms Dunne had met when he started to deliver vegetables to her home and they became friends and he became her confidant.
The court had heard that Byrne began to turn up at her house when Amy’s child was home from school, offering her lifts.
He then started to send her anonymous text messages of sexual nature, about her underwear and being a lone parent.
And as the texts were from an anonymous number, Amy started to confide in Byrne and sought advice from him unaware that he was the one sending the anonymous texts and gifts.
Following an investigation, Byrne was identified as the suspect and admitted what he had done.
In her victim impact report, Amy told the court that Mr Byrne came into her life as a vegetable delivery man who was old enough to be her grandfather.
Amy said the text messages always came at night and mentioned she was alone and mentioned her movements during the day.
“I lost trust and confidence and he was offering his help, telling me not to report it to the gadai as it would be a waste of time.”
Ms Dunne said when gardai told her it was
Byrne who was harassing her and sending the vile messages she said she was “absolutely shaken.”
“I felt like throwing up. He portrayed himself as a person I could depend on,” she said, adding that since he was exposed as her harasser she has not been able to sleep easily, and is suffering from anxiety.
Concerned
“I believed he groomed me and had a plan,” she said.
“I lost my sense of freedom because of what he has done,” Amy told the court.
A Probation Report was handed into court but a part of the report concerned Judge Eirinn McKiernan where Mr Byrne claimed he didn’t frighten Amy as she is someone who “was not easily frightened.”
However, he then acknowledged in court that he did frighten her and apologised.
Judge Erin McKiernan said the crime was very serious and “absolutely despicable.”
“It’s a double whammy — she confided in you,” remarked Judge McKiernan.
The judge imposed a four month sentence but “because of the passage of time” since the offences she suspended the sentence for one year.
“I am not impressed with you at all,” the judge told the defendant and ordered he have no contact with Amy for 12 months.
A RAPE survivor has called for action after a massive spike in the number of sex attack victims who are suffering with body dysmorphia.
Shaneda Daly spoke out after her former prison officer father Harry Daly was convicted of having the highest rape charges in the State’s history.
Following his conviction in 2011 she set up the Facebook group “Survivors Side By Side”.
The mother of six said she has noticed a huge increase in people suffering body dysmorphia – a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance.
Shaneda said: “I’m not sure if it’s a condition most survivors have and kept to themselves or if it’s that more survivors are being more open about it.
“Certainly, we are seeing it more and more in men and women.
“We have people who get into a panic over it, it can cause real anxiety, whether you are dropping someone off to school or out shopping and you start to see what you believe are flaws, it can cause great distress.
“Some women have reported just dropping everything and going home and being hugely upset with themselves. There are many survivors who have taken steps to have plastic surgery, Botox, tummy tucks or they hit the gym hard.
“It’s a real issue, people become so overwhelmed and what they don’t realise is, many of us feel like that too.
“But I suppose it is positive in one way that they are saying it and not keeping it in and causing more damage by remaining silent and suffering more.
“I just want people to be aware of this and to speak to your GP or get professional help because being open and honest is a good step forward.”
As a teenager, Shaneda said she did “everything” to make sure people didn’t notice her.
“I cut my hair short like a boy, I wouldn’t let people take photos of me, I didn’t dress well,” she added. “I just didn’t want anyone to see me. My father was raping me all the time.
“He signed 227 pleas, 103 of indecent assault, 24 of sex assault and the remainder were different forms of rape, including anal rape.”