COLERAINE BROTHERS SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC ABUSE IN NORTHERN IRELAND

In a harrowing case heard at Coleraine Court in March 2014, two brothers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms after being found guilty of a series of appalling acts of sexual abuse and cruelty. The court heard that these men, whose identities are protected to shield their victims, engaged in a pattern of depraved behavior that spanned several decades and involved multiple family members.

Judge Gordon Kerr QC delivered the sentences, condemning the brothers for their actions which demonstrated a level of cruelty and depravity that society cannot tolerate. The younger brother, aged 50, received a sentence of 28 years after admitting to sexually abusing his own son and daughter, as well as his sister. The older brother, aged 56, was sentenced to 23 years for abusing his sister and for participating in the assault of his niece, the daughter of the younger brother.

Both men had previously pleaded guilty to abusing their sister but denied 38 other charges of sexual misconduct, including rape, indecent assaults, and cruelty. These additional charges were convicted in February, with the girl claiming she had been raped up to 1,000 times over the years. The brothers have announced their intention to appeal the convictions.

During the sentencing, Judge Kerr recounted the heartbreaking testimony of the victim, who described her elder brother as “pure evil” and her other brother as “a fool” for joining in the abuse. She recounted suffering “practically every day” from the assaults, and expressed her frustration that her mother was aware of her suffering but failed to intervene.

The judge emphasized the profound destruction inflicted upon the victim’s childhood, describing the abuse as “cold, cynical, and evil exploitation” of a vulnerable young girl. He condemned the brothers for using her as a means for their sexual gratification instead of protecting her, highlighting the depth of their cruelty.

In particular, Judge Kerr pointed out that the younger brother’s abuse of his own daughter revealed “a level of depraved behavior which is almost unprecedented.” He condemned the father for not only destroying his daughter’s childhood through rape and cruelty but also for involving his brother in the acts, further amplifying the horror of the case. The court heard that the younger brother’s abuse of his son, which began in the early 1990s when the boy was just six, was characterized by physical violence—beatings, throttling, cigarette burns—and escalated into serious sexual assaults, including multiple rapes. The abuse continued until the boy was 11, and the girl until she was 14.

The daughter recounted how her father videotaped her being raped by him and her uncle, and later forced her to watch the recordings, reliving her trauma repeatedly. The court was also told that in 1998, the children disclosed some of the abuse to social services, but no action was taken at that time. It was only years later, as adults, that their claims gained the attention of authorities and were taken seriously.

Throughout the trial, the brothers maintained that the allegations were false or imagined. However, the jury was already aware of their history of abuse, including admissions of molesting their sister from the 1970s through the 1980s, starting when she was just four years old and continuing until she reached adulthood. The case in Coleraine highlighted the tragic and disturbing pattern of abuse that persisted over many years within the family, leaving lasting scars on the victims and prompting a strong judicial response to ensure justice was served.