Pictured: Evil rapist John Doyle jailed for abusing daughters and niece as victim speaks out

This is the face of an evil rapist who has just been jailed for abusing his daughters and niece

Vile abuser John Doyle (49) of Littleton, Co Tipperary was this week jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault against his daughters Rebecca, Samantha and niece Winnie Whelan between the years 2006 and 2017.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Mirror, Doyle’s daughter and abuse victim Samantha Doyle said she didn’t feel the 11 year sentence was long enough – nor does she believe her father will ever admit his guilt.

“I feel that no jail sentence is long enough for someone who does something like that so yes naturally I would have hoped he got more time. I don’t think that he will ever admit to what he has done out of shame. He would never be looked at the same again in society.”

Samantha added that any apology from her father would now mean nothing. “An apology would never change what has been done to me and my sister and cousin but at the same it would have been nice to get one,” she said.

Imposing sentence on Monday, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford described the offending as a “significant breach of trust”. She said: “For a father to rape his two daughters is something that is anathema to right-thinking members of society”, the judge said, noting it was a “breach of trust of the gravest kind”.

She said it was an aggravating factor that Doyle abused his daughters in the family home, a “place these children should have been able to feel safe and protected”. Doyle was found guilty of one count of rape and sexual assault in relation to his daughter Rebecca.

He was also convicted of one count of rape and two of sexual assault of his daughter Samantha. Doyle separately sexually assaulted his then 14-year-old niece, Winnie Whelan, while she was babysitting for an aunt who lived next door to Doyle.

Speaking today Samantha said she, her sister and cousin are happy they were believed by the jury and that they finally got justice in the courts. “We are happy that a guilty verdict was given in court that finally we have been believed by someone. That I will say it’s hard that a jury of 12 strangers could listen to our story and thankfully see that we were telling the truth.

“It gave us a sense of relief that we were believed and that the truth came out. We are happy with the justice the court gave us. However I feel that no jail sentence is long enough for someone who does something like that.

“I hope he uses his time to reflect on what he has done and learns to show remorse and learns the wrongs of his doings,” she added.

Speaking about the affect the abuse had, Samantha said: “Of course this has affected me and his other victims mentally and physically. It isn’t something that will never just go away. It stays with you for life, it changes you as an individual in many ways also.

“It brings us comfort to know that we are a voice for other girls going through the same thing that we did and hopefully they will see that it’s ok to speak out. This will never leave us.”

She went on to say that she hopes their story will inspire other victims of abuse to come forward.

John Doyle was sentenced to 11 years

“I hope any girl or boy going through the same as we did know that it’s ok to speak out, say no and that it’s a hard process in coming forward, it can be frightening and you might feel ashamed but I hope they realise it’s no shame on them, it’s the predator that should be ashamed.

“I would also like to add how important it is for family to stick with family members going through a case like this. They need a strong support system We would also like to thank the members of the gardai and the justice system who were involved in our case.”

In harrowing victim impact statements given in court and shared with this paper, Doyle’s victims outlined the affect the abuse had on their lives. Samantha Doyle said that when the abuse was happening to her she was “afraid and ashamed and confused.”

“People said I was wild but the behaviours were just a reaction to what happened to me because I didn’t know how to talk about it,” she said. When I did say what happened to me no one believed me. That hurt me and affected my relationships with my family.

“I was sad all the time and hated my life. I kept going for my sons. The stigma of being considered ‘used,’ ‘raped’ and unclean was destroying me. My attacker pleading not guilty meant I had to give evidence in court, stand up and talk about the worst time in my life in front of strangers. I was terrified because I don’t like to talk about it.”

Rebecca Doyle meanwhile said about his conviction: “I have hope again. Something I didn’t have for the longest time, but all the waiting was well worth it in the end.

Their cousin Winnie Whelan spoke about how the abuse left her feeling scared of what Doyle would do next. “He made me feel scared, really scared of what he would do next. I remember feeling relief when he left the house that night. I felt like I had done something wrong by letting people know what had happened to me at the time. I felt ashamed of what he had done.

“The feeling of disgust and shame never really left me growing up and still even today, I still feel ashamed.”

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