Man who cut hole in attic and recorded step daughter in shower is jailed

Olivia Kelleher

A man who cut a hole in the attic of his home to record videos of his 16-year-old stepdaughter in the shower has been jailed for two years.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing on Friday.

He previously pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to produce child pornography.

Det Garda Kevin Hastings said in evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that the recordings came to light in September of 2021. A number of devices were seized and thumbnails of videos were found.

The videos involved the teenager being filmed whilst she was naked in the shower.

Gardaí also found a 23 minute accidental recording the man made which showed him setting up a camera in the attic. The camera looked down in to the shower in a bathroom in the family home.

The young woman made a victim impact statement.

She told Judge Helen Boyle that what her step father had done to her “had completely destroyed” her sense of safety and comfort at home.

“After the incident, he repeatedly tried to shift the blame onto me, saying that I had somehow provoked him, even though I rarely ever spoke to him.

"This was extremely hurtful and confusing, as I had done absolutely nothing to encourage or justify his actions.

For several months after this happened, I was terrified to use the shower in my own home. I felt constantly watched and unsafe. This crime has so deeply affected my life that I don't even feel like a person anymore. I am still scared to use the bathroom in my own house.

This makes me feel terrified and constantly on edge. I cannot enjoy something as simple as taking a shower because this fear is always in my mind. I just want to finally feel at peace in my own home and not have to live in fear anymore.”

The injured party was in fifth year of secondary school when the offences occurred on a date unknown between January 1st, 2021, and September 22nd, 2021.

She stated that her mental health “declined rapidly” after she found out what had been going on in her home.

“I became withdrawn, anxious, and depressed, and my schoolwork suffered badly as I had missed three weeks of school after the situation happened. When I sat my Leaving Cert, I was still deeply affected.

"I didn't achieve the results I had worked so hard for because I was struggling just to get through each day. I suffered constant nightmares and couldn't sleep properly for months.”

The injured party emphasised that she still lives with the consequences of his actions four years on from the incident. She indicated that she suffers from severe anxiety, frequent panic attacks, and ongoing depression.

“I am now in trauma therapy and on a high dose of antidepressants. I'm trying to move forward and continue my studies in college, but I still live in fear.

"This crime has affected me physically, psychologically, mentally, and financially. I know I can never go back to how I was before this happened

"What he did has permanently changed who I am, how I see myself, and how safe I feel in the world.”

She stated that what the accused did was not just a violation of her privacy but “a complete betrayal” of her trust. She added that the man claims to see her as his own daughter yet still chose to film her in the shower.

The middle aged defendant is without previous convictions. He pleaded guilty to the offence before the court.

Judge Boyle said that the then teenager should have been able to trust her stepfather.

“You filmed a sixteen year old girl by putting a hole in the attic. It was pre planned and pre meditated.”

Judge Boyle spoke of the serious impact of the incident on the young woman. She said that the filming of the injured party in the shower represented a gross violation of her privacy and a grievous betrayal of her trust.

She noted the guilty plea in the case, the steady work history and lack of previous convictions of the accused. Judge Boyle said that the man had denied a sexual motive instead claiming that he filmed the young girl in order to blackmail her mother about another matter.

The judge told the accused that whatever his motive was “the impact is still the same.”

The accused is now homeless and lives in his car. The probation service has deemed him as being of low risk of re offending.

Judge Boyle jailed the man for three years suspending the final year of the sentence. He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.