Woman who was raped by her stepfather as a teenager waives anonymity to reveal his name

A woman who was raped by her stepfather on her 15th birthday has waived her anonymity so his name can be used.

Anthony Byrne (55) was found guilty in May in a trial before the Central Criminal Court of two counts of raping his stepdaughter Kim Jordan, now 36, in 2002.

Ms. Jordan waived her anonymity so that Byrne’s name could be mentioned.

In her victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Jordan said Byrne had blamed her for his actions during the trial.

“I felt humiliated and ashamed because you portrayed me as some kind of teenage sexual seductress,” she said.

Byrne, of Ballyfermot Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, had come into her life when she was very young and the court heard that the relationship was of great importance to her as the two had been very close since they were children.

“After spending my early years wondering why my biological father wasn’t there and why my family was broken, when Tony came into my life and I finally had a father, I felt like my prayers had been answered and I finally had the family I had longed for. Little did I know that his plan was to use me for his sick sexual desires and ruin my life.”

The court heard the offence was committed while Ms Jordan was in Spain on her 15th birthday in 2002 and at her family home a few months later.

Ms Jordan lodged a complaint with the Gardaí in 2018 and described what had happened.

The court heard that while on a family holiday in Spain, she decided to return to the apartment to have a shower before dinner. He had a beer and, while they were playing cards, he asked her if they could play strip poker.

He asked if he could go to the bathroom to use the toilet. Then he dropped his shorts and insisted on washing them with a sponge and drying them off afterward. She said she was so embarrassed and was bawling and crying. She had spread clothes on the bed and then he said he would dry her off.

He put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back onto the bed. Then he raped her.

She said she became absent and numb and wished she were dead. She still remembers the woodchip wallpaper as she turned away as he raped her. She was afraid of becoming pregnant.

The second incident occurred a few months after she returned from Mallorca, the court heard. Byrne came in, took off her trousers and underwear and tried to penetrate her, but he had no erection.

Defence lawyer John Byrne SC said his client never denied having sexual contact with the girl but denied any allegations of rape.

“Mr. Byrne must respect the jury’s verdict, but does not accept it,” the lawyer told the court.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted that Byrne said he was having “an affair with his teenage stepdaughter.”

Judge Ring stated that she could not issue a ruling until July 31 due to late submission of documents.

The judge also referred to recent changes to the Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Act, which require persons convicted of a sexual offense to provide a certificate of good character in the form of an oath or affidavit at the criminal trial.

However, the defense attorney objected and Judge Ring agreed that the new law, which took effect last week, only applies to those convicted after the law was passed.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the 24-hour national rape crisis helpline on 1800-77 8888, access the text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis He.lp.