A survivor of sexual assault has blasted the sentencing handed down to a male cousin as “a slap in the face.” Sophie Brady, 26, from Athboy, Co Meath, said in a now-viral video that her earliest memories were of she and her sister being assaulted by two older cousins.
This week at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Ms Brady’s cousins, David and Jonathan Hamilton of Athboy, Co Meath, pleaded guilty and were convicted of sexual assault of Ms Brady and rape, oral rape and sexual assault of her older sister in Co Meath on dates between 2004 and 2008.
David Hamilton (33) was sentenced to seven and a half years with the final 12 months suspended on Monday, while his brother Jonathan Hamilton (34) received three years, with the final six months suspended.
“Myself and my sister are completely outraged, disappointed, discouraged and disgusted with the Irish justice system. I don’t feel like justice has been served at all. And we do intend on appealing the decision. What happened to us was completely wrong and cruel, and we were children.”
Ms Brady said that there was “more going on behind the scenes” than people realise, claiming that she never received an apology from any family members and that she was disbelieved despite the guilty plea issued by both cousins. She detailed how she and her sister lost “half of our family” because they did not believe the accusations.
“I had so much to say, and unlike Nikita Hand and Natasha O’Brien and girls that horrific things happened to, RTE weren’t waiting on the steps of the Criminal Court yesterday. They did not want to hear, they did not want to know.”
“I don’t think I have the strength or the energy to continue this fight for much longer,” said Ms Brady. “I would just love for the DPP to appeal the decision. I think my cousin deserves a lot longer than six and a half years for what he did. The point I made in court yesterday is that in six and a half years, I might have my own children that are three years old, and what happens if he does the same thing to her? Or anyone else’s little girl.”
Describing David Hamilton as “cruel,” Ms Brady detailed how he told his younger brother to “have a go” after raping Ms Brady’s sister, and that he was “next in line.”
“My sister and I have made fantastic lives for ourselves. We’re both holding down employment in jobs that we love. We are both holding down very stable, loving relationships with excellent men. It’s absolutely a miracle. We’ve been through a lot of therapy, and to this day it continues.
”This case has dragged up things that I thought that I was over and I had kind of moved on – but it feels very much like I’m back to square one, and it’s an absolute slap in the face that they’re going to be out and walking around and able to approach me in six years time. If there’s any justice in this country, in this world at all, can you please share this far and wide because I want the entire country talking about this case.”
“The only way the DPP is going to entertain an appeal is if we have public uproar and outcry, and if my own family won’t get behind me, I need to rely on the support of strangers. I don’t feel brave and I don’t feel strong. I feel like the system let me down; like I was a number and that it was a file on someone’s desk and a tick the box exercise, and I really just need some support.”
The court heard that David began abusing Ms Brady when she was seven years old and he was 14. Jonathan was only charged in relation to one incident with one victim – Sophie’s older sister on one occasion on a date in 2005. He was 14 years old at the time of his offence.