Mother was recorded by husband having sex with teenage son, Tullamore Circuit Court hears

The mother of a Midlands teenager faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison after pleading guilty at Tullamore Circuit Court to the sexual exploitation of her son.

At a sentencing hearing today (Tuesday, October 7), Judge Sinead McMullan heard the woman had sexual intercourse with the victim, aged 16 at the time, while her husband recorded the act on a mobile phone in a locked bedroom.

The woman, 37, pleaded guilty to defilement of a child under the age of 17, sexual exploitation, and wilful neglect.

Her husband, aged 35, admitted aiding and abetting his wife, knowingly producing child pornography, detaining or restricting his son for sexual exploitation, and wilful neglect.

Neither of the accused can be named in order to protect the identity of the victim who was put in the care of Tusla after he reported the incident.

Seoirse O Dunlaing, SC, prosecuting, said both defendants had entered initial guilty pleas on April 29 last.

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Detective Sergeant Liam Lonergan told the court the couple got married in 2020 and along with the victim, they had a younger daughter together. The victim's mother worked as a childminder for cash.

Detective Sergeant Lonergan added that when gardai arrived at the family home after receiving a report about the incident the house was in a very poor condition with farm animals and pets being reared inside it.

He said there were two separate incidents in the parents' bedroom on the date of the offences, January 12, 2024.

The court heard matters came to light at about 12.30am on January 13 when the victim left the home through a window in his own bedroom and cycled to the house of a friend he had messaged earlier.

That friends parents were told what the teenager was reporting and they contacted the gardai immediately.

In interviews with gardai, the victim said that at about 2pm on the date of the offences his father asked him to come up to his parents' bedroom and when he did so his father asked him if he wanted to take part in a sexual act with his mother and locked the door.

His mother was in bed and when his father left the room the teenager had sexual intercourse with the woman.

His father subsequently returned and helped position his wife on top of the boy and another act of sexual intercourse took place.

A second incident at about 10 or 11pm that evening was described as similar but was recorded by the accused man on a mobile phone.

After returning to his own bedroom the victim communicated with his friend by text and in a telephone call and then packed, dressed himself and left through a window.

He cycled to his friend's house a number of miles away and had to jump into a ditch when a car came because he thought it might be his parents.

Detective Sergeant Lonergan said that when the father's phone was seized images were found on it which were a “carbon copy” of the account given by the victim.

Both parents were arrested and interviewed and when questioned both denied the allegations made by their son, even after they were shown the images.

The woman had 41 previous convictions but most of them were for road traffic offences, including dangerous driving.

She had no convictions for any sexual offences but had issues with drugs, an eating disorder and said she had been the victim of sexual abuse herself when she was a teenager.

The court heard that the father was a drug user with 15 previous convictions, including convictions for robbery, road traffic, criminal damage and assault.

He had previously been treated for cancer and had his prostate and bladder removed.

In a victim impact statement which was read to the court by Mr O Dunlaing, the teenager, who was present in the courtroom, said the past year and a half had been very rough and he had many problems trusting people after the incident.

He had problems with his mental health, barely slept because of nightmares, fell behind in his school work and his relationship with his sister suffered because she did not believe what had happened.

He said he was emotionally shut down for the first eight or nine months and it took a long time to recover.

Letters of apology were written by both of the accused and the mother read hers in court.

In it, she repeatedly told her son she loved him and outlined how sorry she was for what had happened on “that horrible day”.

She said what she had done was a betrayal of trust and she did not expect to be forgiven. As a mother she was supposed to protect him and she was ashamed.

Breaking down in the witness box, she praised her son for his bravery, assured him he had done nothing wrong and said she would change things if she could.

Eileen O'Leary, SC, for the woman, said the accused had a long history of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and had attempted to take her own life both before and after committing the offences.

She had reported to the forensic psychologist who prepared a report for the sentencing hearing that she was the victim of prolonged sexual abuse but it seemed she had not made a formal complaint about that.

Ms O'Leary said drugs were involved in the incident and the woman's husband had contacted an individual on the day for cocaine to be provided.

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Dara Foynes, SC, appearing for the father, said his son had been subjected to “fairly heinous conduct” and he accepted his behaviour was appalling.

Ms Foynes said that in his letter of apology the father accepted he was entirely responsible for what had happened and his son, a minor, had no choice.

The medical background of the man was that following the removal of his prostate and bladder in 2020 functioning of a sexual nature was significantly affected and the surgery was life changing for him.

The man had a troubled background and had been the victim of abuse himself. That resulted in drug taking and while he went off drugs during his cancer treatment he later went back on substances and was on them at the time of the offences.

He had said he would regret what he had done to his son until the day he died and had genuine remorse.

The court also heard the couple's home had been repossessed and they were living in a mobile home.

Grandparents were now the “primary custodians” of the couple's two children, Ms Foynes said.

Judge McMullan said she would finalise sentencing on Friday, October 10 but in the meantime she would place both accused in custody because of how serious a matter it was.

When Ms O'Leary put it to the judge that animals belonging to the accused had to be cared for, Judge McMullan said extended family or relevant parties would have to be notified about those concerns.

Judge McMullan also said the prison authorities would have to be informed about the medical needs of both accused.