Rapist claimed he had an “affair” with his stepdaughter, whom he attacked on her 15th birthday after she “tried to play strip poker”

A stepdaughter has bravely recounted the horrific experience of being raped by her stepfather during a family outing on her 15th birthday.

In a brave move to lift the veil of anonymity, Kim Jordan has allowed the public to name her stepfather and rapist Anthony Byrne (55) after a jury found him guilty of the rape that took place on her 15th birthday in Mallorca and another subsequent attack on a property in Drimnagh, south Dublin.

The horrifying details were recounted at trial: Ms Jordan felt like she wanted to “die” when Byrne attacked her in her hotel room after disturbingly suggesting they play “strip poker”.

In a moving victim impact statement read out in court, Ms Jordan expressed how Byrne had shaken her “physically, mentally and emotionally”.

“I thought I was your daughter, I thought you loved me,” she revealed. “Today I stand here as an adult, 22 years after you raped me on my 15th birthday and took not only my virginity but my innocence and my trust.” She continued: “I am serving and continue to serve a life sentence for what you did to me.”

During the sentencing hearing presided over by Judge Mary Ellen Ring, Garda Thomas Wafer of Sundrive Garda Station confirmed that Byrne was found guilty of two counts of rape by the Central Criminal Court on 15 May this year.

Byrne, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, was found guilty by the jury of raping his stepdaughter both during a holiday in Majorca, Spain in 2002 and again at her home in Rafters Avenue, Drimnagh.

Garda Wafter confirmed during the trial that Byrne had a romantic relationship with the victim’s mother, who eventually reported him to the police in 2018. On her 15th birthday, Ms Jordan went on holiday to Mallorca with Byrne and other family members.

After spending some time at the pool, she returned to her accommodation alone with him.

The jury was told there was a “significant age difference” between the two. In her evidence, Ms Jordan stated that at the flat, Byrne “suggested they play strip poker”, but she declined.

She then decided to take a shower, but Byrne followed her into the bathroom, “dropped his shorts” and exposed himself, insisting, “You’re not ready yet. I’m going to wash you.”

Ms Jordan described in detail how Byrne cornered her and washed her with a sponge while she was undressed. Recalling the ordeal, she said she was “crying tears in her eyes” and “just wanted to die at that moment”.

The court heard that she managed to quickly escape from the bathroom but felt “vulnerable” and trapped.

Byrne then came out with a towel and told the victim he was going to dry her off. The court heard that while Ms Jordan was pulling up her underwear, Byrne put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back onto the bed.

She said she lay there “crying” as he knelt down, exposed himself and then penetrated her. Ms. Jordan described feeling “completely numb” and vividly remembers the woodchip wallpaper in the hotel room.

She told the jury that while this was happening she was just lying there and wishing she was “dead.”

She was “horrified” and Byrne “panicked,” cleaned her and apologized profusely after he climaxed, the court heard.

Mrs Jordan had told the jury that they later went out for dinner and Byrne acted as if “nothing had happened. When they returned to the room she shared with Byrne, she was…” When they returned to the room she shared with Byrne, she lay awake, crying. The court heard that several months passed before the next incident happened – when the defendant entered her bedroom at the house in Drimnagh, exposed himself and attempted to penetrate her.

A knock on the door startled Byrne, the court heard. Ms Jordan said Byrne “never spoke to me about the incident again”.

Prosecutors explained at the sentencing how Ms Jordan eventually confided in her mother – and described a moment when, while taking a shower, she thought she saw a video camera recording her from the back bedroom she shared with her sister.

Ms Jordan confronted Byrne, who replied: “You can say whatever you want. It’s your word against mine.”

She then confided in a friend and, together with her mother, reported the incident to the Gardai.

The court was told that Byrne, who has no previous convictions, admitted having sex with Ms Jordan in Spain but claimed it was consensual. Byrne’s defence said he had been in a new relationship since 2016, had two young children and had led a “crime-free, guilt-free life” since the incident.

At the time of the crime, Byrne was 33 and the victim was 15. The court heard that Byrne claimed he was “having an affair with his partner’s daughter.”

His defense attorney called the language “regrettable” and said Byrne was “not the most eloquent person,” adding, “I don’t think he meant anything by it.”

Judge Ring, however, disagreed, saying she could not interpret Byrne’s words any differently “regardless of your language level.”

The defense reiterated that Byrne denies any guilt and maintains his innocence. The court was presented with character references, including from Byrne’s current partner and his sister.

The court was informed that both offences carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Judge Ring said she needed time to review the case and would issue a verdict next Wednesday.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Jordan, who was visibly emotional at times, revealed that when Byrne first came into her life, he was her “best friend and someone I looked up to for most of my childhood. Little did I know that his plan was to use me for his sick sexual desires and ruin my life.”

She described her home as a “scary place” and said she had to “always be on guard.”

She described her stepfather as “calculating” and said he “convinced me that if I spoke about your abuse, our family would be torn apart.”

“You made me feel trapped, voiceless and that I had no one to turn to,” she said. “The mental, physical and emotional pain is still a daily struggle for me. I am glad to be standing here today, finding my voice, protecting my younger self and holding you accountable for the childhood and the many years you so heartlessly stole from me,” she added.

Ms Jordan also commented on Byrne’s testimony at the trial, saying he “stated that you yourself are a victim in this case and claimed that this was all a ploy to somehow ruin your life.”

She called the claim “absolute madness” and “unfortunately, it has proven once again that you feel no remorse for your actions.”

“You took the stand before a judge and jury and stated that you believed the age of consent was 16. This leads me to believe that you knew what you were doing was wrong, but that your own sick desires were, and always have been, more important than my bodily autonomy.”

“Unfortunately, I am no longer the child you can use for your disgusting pleasures,” she explained. “I will no longer keep your sick secret. It is now your burden. What you did to me broke me physically, mentally and emotionally. You cost me my job, my career and, for a time, my closest relationship.”

“I had nothing. I felt worthless. I was unemployed and on sick leave for five long years, losing my income, my independence and my joy in the future. I had to accept welfare payments for those years, which caused me great shame and great worry that my life would never be ‘normal’ again.”

“You have turned the people I once called my aunts, uncles and cousins ​​against me with your lies and withheld the truth from me for 26 long years.”

Describing her ordeal in court, she said she had undergone “intensive” therapy and takes daily medication for depression and anxiety. “I am tormented by the memories you left me and to this day I have regular nightmares,” Ms Jordan said.

“The trauma of what you did to me has destroyed my desire to have children. I find it difficult to trust anyone and I could never bring a child into the world if I knew firsthand that people like you existed,” she continued.

“I honestly believe this will haunt me until the day I die and my life will never be the same as it should have been. Today I should have finally celebrated a victory, finally celebrated justice. Instead, it’s sad. It’s sad because we never needed to be here, Tony.”

“We should not have had to be dragged through six years of litigation, court hearings and a trial. You could have spared us this further pain by taking responsibility for your actions and pleading guilty. Instead, you just showed us what a father should never be like.”

“Not only did you make sure I was tortured again by having me called to the witness box in court, where I was questioned and cross-examined in great detail, I felt humiliated and ashamed because you portrayed me as some kind of teenage seductress.”

Ms Jordan said she once “adored” Byrne and “never wanted anything from you except for you to love me like a father should”.

“I wanted you to walk me down the aisle at our wedding, help me move into our first house and always be someone I love and am proud of,” she said. “I know now that you can’t love anyone unconditionally but yourself.”

“Now that you are standing here before us, I can honestly say that I feel nothing but shame and regret for having loved you, trusted you, and believed in you.”