Victim tells father: ‘You got fun in inflicting pain... you tortured me.’

A MAN has told how suffering beatings at the hands of his father for 12 years made his childhood a misery.

From the age of four Stephen Keogh endured a constant cycle of physical and psychological abuse from a man who he said appeared to others as a ‘holy lay person’.

In a powerful victim impact statement at Bandon District Court on Monday he told Judge Joanne Carroll that he is serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.

The court heard that some of the bruises from his shoulders down to his legs were so bad that his father wouldn’t allow him to go to GAA training until they healed for fear someone would see them.

James Keogh (70s) of Rigsdale, Ballinhassig pleaded guilty to child cruelty on dates between January 1st, 1991 and December 10th, 2002.

Gda Declan Lynch told the court that on August 13th 2024, Stephen Keogh made a statement to him outlining a litany of abuse he had suffered from a very young age.

‘One time the accused broke a two-metre  stick on Stephen’s back. He cried at the time but laughed that night because he felt that was the end of it. His dad came back the next day with a carbon rod,’ said Gda Lynch. ‘This abuse was also witnessed by Stephen’s sisters and three of them made statements to me supporting the facts.’

Gda Lynch said that in his 30 years as a garda he had never come across such physical violence. ‘A father and son should be a fantastic relationship but this was totally contrary,’ he added.

Gda Lynch said Stephen, now age 40 and living abroad, has been in counselling, is a recovering alcoholic, suffered depression and PTSD as a result of the physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his dad which ended when he was 16.

Gda Lynch said that James Keogh worked away during the week but at weekends Stephen would be beaten.

‘One time he and his sisters all got a beating after a visit to a neighbour’s house because they had taken too many biscuits. School reports could lead to a beatings.’

In his victim impact statement which he read out in court, Stephen Keogh said his dad was the man sitting at the front row at mass every Sunday and was organising trips to Lourdes.

‘Anyone looking from the outside saw you a holy lay person. But you made my life a misery. You tortured me. You got pleasure and fun in inflicting pain on me. You laughed at me afterwards,’ he said.

‘I am serving a life sentence for a crime I didn’t commit. All I want is that people know who you are and that you are haunted by your actions.’

Defence solicitor Diarmuid O’Shea said his client, who is retired and has no previous convictions, accepts corporal punishment went on at his home. ‘He mistakenly believed it would make a man of him. A lot of what he did was over the top and he regrets his actions. He has offered to apologise but his son has rejected it,’ said Mr O’Shea.

The court heard none of the family’s grandchildren are allowed to visit James and his wife in Ballinhassig. Judge Carroll described it as a ‘shocking case of violent cruelty and ill treatment perpetrated by a father on his son from the age of four to 16.’

She imposed a six-month prison sentence, suspending three months of it, and fined him €1,000. Recognisances for an appeal were lodged in the defendant’s own bond of €200 cash.