Galway Bay fm newsroom - A Ballinasloe man who sexually abused his daughter over a six year period has been jailed for five years.
43 year old Michael O' Donoghue was described in court by his daughter as "a monster, a paedophile and an animal".
The Central Criminal Court heard Michael O' Donoghue plied his daughter with alcohol and drugs before sexually abusing her when she was on access visits to his home over a six-year period.
Aimee Foley - who was aged between 12 and 17 at the time of the abuse - waived her right to anonymity in order for her father to be named.
O'Donoghue, of Colmanstown, pleaded guilty to 31 counts of sexually assaulting Ms Foley, one count of raping her and one count of producing child pornography in various locations in Galway between April 2012 and April 2018.
The abuse came to light in 2020 when Ms Foley confided in college friends and then her mother.
O'Donoghue then turned himself into gardaí before they had interviewed Ms Foley and admitted the abuse had taken place.
In passing sentencing, Mr Justice David Keane said O'Donoghue had engaged in the most serious breach of trust between a parent and a child.
He noted he had gone to court to secure custody of his child, only to "grotesquely" betray his parental responsibilities by sexualising, demeaning and degrading Aimee Foley for his own gratification.
Michael O' Donoghue was sentenced to seven years in prison with the final two years suspended on a number of conditions, including that he have no contact with children under the age of 18 without permission from the Probation Service.
