A man who abused three younger siblings in a “house of horrors” has been jailed for eight years. Gerry Harte (71) sexually abused two of his younger sisters and his younger brother during the 1970s and 1980s. The Central Criminal Court heard that the victims have waived their right to anonymity to allow Harte of Tullynacrunat North, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, to be named. In victim impact statements, two of the victims described growing up in a “house of horrors”. Harte pleaded guilty on a trial date to 15 counts of indecent assault, five for each of the three victims.
Imposing sentence today, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said each offence perpetrated by Harte against the victims stood at the “top end of seriousness” in relation to the offence of indecent assault, which carries a maximum sentence of two years. He said a “consecutive element” to the sentences was required “to mark serious and persistent nature of offending” and set a global headline sentence of 11 years. The judge noted the aggravating factors include the nature of the offending, which was of a “gross kind”, the frequency of abuse, the length of time it continued and the impact on the victims. Mr Justice McGrath said Harte “abused his position in relation to his younger siblings” and visited humiliation on the victims. The judge reduced the overall global sentence to eight years to take account of the mitigation, including Harte's guilty plea and his lack of previous convictions. Mr Justice McGrath said the three victims “must be commended not only for making these allegations after a long period of time” but also for their dignity during the case. He described their victim impact statements as powerful and expressed the court's hope that this process would bring them some closure.
At an earlier hearing, the Central Criminal Court heard that the family background was highly dysfunctional, with the environment described as cold and uncaring and allegations of physical abuse against the parents. All of the abuse took place at the family home in The Crescent, Castleblarney, Co Monaghan. Noeleen Connors was aged 14 when Harte, who was then 17, started to abuse her in 1971. He sexually assaulted her for the first time in the bathroom of the family home. He then gave her money for sweets and told her not to tell anyone. The abuse occurred regularly, and generally took place while their parents were out of the house. Later, Harte would come into her bedroom and touch her inappropriately. The abuse ended when she was 17 or 18 and fought back, kicking his shins and grabbing his hair.
Reading her victim impact evidence, Ms Connors (now 67) said she grew up in a “house of horrors” where she was sexually abused by her older brother. She said she has experienced nightmares, anxiety and PTSD. Fiona Harte Powell was nine when Harte (then 23) started to abuse her in 1977. In the first incident, he pushed her into the bathroom, telling her he wanted to show her something and if she did it, he would give her 50p. He locked the door, then sexually assaulted her. The court heard the abuse occurred regularly, whenever they were in the house alone, in either her bedroom or the bathroom. The abuse escalated to include masturbation and what Ms Powell described to gardai as “simulated sex”. The abuse ended when she was around 14. Harte went to touch her bra, and she grabbed a fire poker, threatening to split him in two if he touched her.
When their parents got home, she told them about the abuse. The court heard their father believed her, but their mother didn’t. Ms Harte-Powell said their mother asked her if Harte had sex with her, and she replied,” No, not for the want of trying”. Her mother's response was that he hadn’t abused her if they hadn’t had sex. The court heard Ms Harte-Powell was warned not to tell anyone, while Harte was taken to either a doctor or a priest, but nothing was done to support her. In her victim impact evidence, Ms Harte-Powell (56) said that she spent her childhood “believing this was what happened in a family” and “never imagined what my so-called protector was doing was so wrong.” She said she was “rewarded with money for sweets” like “pay for a prostitute”, but she was a child. She said told their parents about the abuse, despite Harte's pleas not to tell them. However, “nothing changed in the house,” and she felt that she “didn’t matter”.
Ms Harte-Powell said the “sacred trust that should have been between an eldest brother and a little sister was long gone, replaced with fear”. The court heard that PJ Harte was around 11 when Harte Snr (then 22) started to abuse him in 1976. Harte Snr sexually assaulted his brother at nighttime in his bedroom, and the abuse escalated to include mutual masturbation. The abuse ended after Mr Harte refused to perform oral sex. This victim told gardai he was aware his brother was taken to a priest after Ms Harte-Powell told their parents about the abuse. In his victim impact statement, Mr Harte (now 58) said he grew up in a “house of horrors” and his parents “have much to answer for”. He said it was a “miracle” he survived as he was “used and abused physically, mentally, and sexually”
He said the abuse occurred whether his brother was drunk or sober. He said his life at the time was a “lonely existence”, and his brother didn't look out for him or have any interest, except to “have his wicked way”. The court heard the extent of the abuse came to light after their mother’s death, and the three complainants later went to gardai separately. Harte Snr was interviewed by gardai in November 2021 and made no comment when the allegations were put to him. He has no previous convictions. A local garda agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, that there was a high degree of dysfunction within the family. It was also accepted that some of the siblings made allegations of physical and sexual abuse against the parents. Mr O'Higgins said his client takes responsibility for his actions and is “consumed with guilt and remorse”. He is instructed to apologise on his client’s behalf, and his client is aware that an apology after so many years has “limited value”. A psychological report was handed to the court. Counsel said his client was “not immune” from the difficulties within the household, despite the perception that he was their mother's favourite.
