‘GROTESQUE’ | 

Child rapist jailed for abusing ex’s daughter ‘stalked’ victim’s family on Facebook

It is the family’s belief that McCarthy was looking for pictures of his victim, who is now an adult.

Child rapist ‘cyber stalks’ the family of his victim after release from prison

Eavan Murray

Today at 02:30

A convicted child rapist who was jailed for abusing his ex-partner’s daughter stalked his victim’s family on Facebook within days of his release from prison, the family believes.

Andrew McCarthy (44), who is originally from Saggart, Co Dublin, was jailed for 15 years with three suspended in 2015 after a campaign of rape, grooming and sexual assault against his former partner’s daughter.

Gardaí are investigating a complaint from a parent of McCarthy’s victim that, within days of his release, he set up a Facebook account and stalked their profile pictures.

It is the family’s belief that McCarthy was looking for pictures of his victim, who is now an adult.

The parent of the girl shared a ­Sunday World news report of McCarthy’s release on their Facebook page and to their horror saw that McCarthy “liked” the post.

“The fact he had no hesitation in letting me see his presence shows his grotesque arrogance and total lack of remorse,” said the parent. “In a short space of time he had already made a long list of friends on Facebook, including another well-known sex offender.

“People, especially parents, need to know these people are on social media.

“It makes me sick to think of him looking at our family pictures.”

The girl’s parent immediately complained to the guards and also contacted the original investigating garda.

“I still haven’t heard back from the guards so I don’t know what they can do. It may not be an offence. But I can tell you I felt harassed,” they said.

When sentenced, McCarthy had the final three years of a 15-year sentence suspended on condition he stay away from the victim and undergo 18 months of post-release supervision.

Gardaí are investigating whether McCarthy is in breach of his post-release conditions. He has deleted his Facebook account since the incident.

McCarthy, who subjected his seriously ill partner’s daughter to a seven-year campaign of rape, was released from Arbour Hill prison last November after serving just nine years of a 12-year jail sentence.

He was originally sentenced to 15 years with three suspended in 2015.

With standard remission, he was entitled to release after serving just three-quarters of his sentence.

McCarthy, whose court address was given as Ballymoe, Co Galway, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 11 counts covering the rape, oral rape and sexual assault of the child at houses in Dublin and Galway on dates between May 2006 and January 2011.

The sample counts were from a total of 27 charges within that period.

The predator first raped the girl in 2006 when was she nine years old. He attacked the child that summer after taking her to a seaside amusement arcade where the court heard she had won two big teddies.

He took her back to a relative’s house and after sexually assaulting her he told her he was sorry if it had hurt her.

Around Christmas that year he began pestering the child for oral sex.

Sometime in 2009, he raped her after she had said no to him. McCarthy told the child that it would be easier if she just agreed and “got it over with”.

The court heard McCarthy would take pictures of her partially and fully undressed. He would also take photos and video footage of him raping her.

During this period of abuse, the girl’s mother was seriously unwell and the court heard McCarthy would tell her not to say anything to her mother about the abuse because it would harm her health further.

The court heard McCarthy began buying alcohol for the victim and her friends, and she later had to be treated in hospital as a result of the physical harm drinking alcohol from an early age had on her.

McCarthy would promise to drive her places, but then later make it conditional on abusing her. He did this 10 times in a three-month period in 2009.

The abuse was discovered in March 2011 when the victim’s mother saw inappropriate messages on her partner’s Facebook account. In the messages, McCarthy told the child that he loved her and would wait for her.

In a harrowing victim-impact report, the girl said McCarthy took her innocence and childhood from her and left her a broken person. “I don’t sleep, I always feel scared and vulnerable,” said the victim. “I never feel safe. I have contemplated suicide.”