The parents of a 9 year old girl have been found guilty by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of assaulting, neglecting and of being cruel to their daughter who suffered severe brain injuries in their care.
The couple, a 39-year-old man and his 36-year-old wife, are of north African origin, and the father told a detective that he had carried out a ritual to get a “devil” to leave his daughter’s body after contacting an Islamic faith healer.
Outside the court, Inspector Brian Downey, who led the investigation, said that “the child had suffered at the hands of her parents an exorcism, which involved pain, burning, cutting, choking and ultimately a serious, serious assault.”
“This is the first case I think in Ireland where we had faith-based abuse,” he said.
Because of “horrendous physical abuse” the young girl was now “incapable of having any control over her body, she can no longer see, hear, touch, she can’t swallow”, the garda said.
The child was found unconscious at the family home on 2 July 2019. She was taken to hospital with multiple bruises, cuts, bite marks and burns across her body.
Her parents, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of the child, were found guilty of a total of ten charges of assault, neglect and cruelty.
Medical evidence presented to the court described the brain injuries as being a result of a combination of blunt force trauma and violent shaking of the head – with one expert saying that bruising around the child’s face were indicative of blows caused by punching.
After a 12-day trial, a jury of six men and five women found each parent guilty on all counts. Judge Martin Nolan remanded the couple in custody for a sentencing hearing on 24 January 2022.
Inspector Downey said the child was just three months living in Ireland when she was subject to the attack from her parents. He said it was the first case of faith based abuse in Ireland.
“I know our colleagues in other European countries are dealing with some similar issues, but we’ve never had this before here,” he said.
“No sort of abuse that is faith based will be tolerated. Children have a right to grow up free of violence, physical or emotional.”