‘Survivors are ashamed to sue the abuser, but we shouldn’t’ – Clare woman was raped by her father Patrick Honan from the age of three

Patrick Honan (69), from County Clare, was found guilty of 48 counts, including 25 counts of rape and 23 counts of sexual assault, at a trial at the Central Criminal Court in February. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended.

His daughter and victim, Noreen Honan, waived her right to anonymity so that her father’s name could be mentioned.

The abuse occurred between 1977 and 1989 at the family home in Lake View, Doonbeg, Co Clare, when she was between the ages of three and 16.

Honan has appealed his conviction and sentence. The prosecutor, meanwhile, has also appealed the verdict, citing undue leniency, according to court documents.

Ms Honan confirmed that a date of November 4 has now been set for her civil suit against her father in the Supreme Court.

She said that victims of abuse receive very little support during the criminal process. She added that she met the prosecutor who was guiding her through her testimony just minutes before she took the stand to describe the full list of abuses she had suffered. She was then cross-examined by her father’s lawyer.

What Da did to me was terrible. I still have a hard time leaving my house.

However, as a defendant, Patrick Honan was entitled to extensive discussions with his legal team over several years before he went to trial. Ms Honan said the legal process left her feeling as if “I was the one on trial, not my father.”

​Now, through her civil lawsuit, Ms. Honan said, she finally has the opportunity to receive legal assistance in a more meaningful sense.

“What Da did to me was terrible. I still find it hard to leave my house. At least this time I have a lawyer and an attorney. Last time I didn’t have one because I was only a state witness. It was like being on trial. As a survivor, I had little legal support,” she said.

Ms. Honan urged other victims of sexual abuse to file a civil suit against their abuser before going to criminal trial. She did so, but it is relatively rare in this country.

“I make no apologies for taking this path. More people should do this before a criminal trial even begins. It could help end pedophilia in this country. Survivors are ashamed to sue for damages and take money from their abuser. We should definitely not do this. And at least we can do it with proper legal support,” she said.

Patrick Honan, of Lake View, Doonbeg, Co Clare, does not accept the jury’s verdict and maintains his innocence, the court was previously told.

On April 26, Judge Siobhan Lankford imposed a 13-year prison sentence, with the final 18 months suspended, and ordered him not to contact Ms Honan now or in the future.

The judge said she would consider the indecent assault charge because it was “part of a continuing pattern of abuse that occurred in connection with the rape allegations.” She dated the sentence backdated to the day Honan was taken into custody.

The judge imposed a sentence, citing the prolonged duration of the abuse, the “enormous” breach of trust and the age difference.

She said the crime occurred in the victim’s family home, where “she was allowed to feel safe,” and the abuse occurred at “the hands of someone who had a duty to protect and educate her.”

She said she took into account Honan’s personal circumstances and mitigating circumstances, including his age, health issues and employment history.

In an interview with this newspaper in May, Ms Honan described in detail the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father over a long period of time.

She described the details of her first sexual abuse by her father at the age of three and a half.

“After that first time, it just became normal. It was constant. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t abused. I thought every little girl had to do that with her daddy. He would say things like, ‘Every kid has to do that’ and ‘I’m sure so-and-so doesn’t complain about it as much as you do.'”