Living hell | 

Brave sexual assault victim waives anonymity to expose man who abused her more than 15 years ago

‘Since then, I’m the one who is being called names and I just want people to know the truth’

Today at 21:16

A brave sexual assault victim has waived her anonymity to expose the man who abused her more than 15 years ago and then had her branded a liar in her community.

On March 13 of this year, Dublin man Denis Crowley (50) was convicted in Blanchardstown District Court of the sexual assault of Kelsey Ryan at an address in Blanchardstown on a date unknown between June 2008 and October 2008.

Crowley was sentenced to six months in prison for the offence – with that sentence suspended for a period of two years.

Shockingly, Kelsey (31), who waited more than 15 years to get justice, said in the wake of Crowley’s conviction that she was again branded a liar by associates of his — who have also put it around that he was convicted of assault and not a sexual assault.

“It was devastating to have this said about me after everything I went through,” Kelsey said.

“I waived my anonymity in the courtroom, but because there wasn’t a journalist present, there was no-one to report the outcome or what he did to me.

“Since then, I’m the one who is being called names and I just want people to know the truth.”

Kelsey told the Sunday World the sexual assault perpetrated on her by Crowley occurred in a bedroom of a house he shared with her stepdad’s sister.

“He was my stepdad’s sister’s boyfriend – so it was like he was an uncle,” Kelsey said.

“I’d go over there all the time, every weekend and any time I would be off school.

“One night when they were all drinking, his partner went up to bed and then everyone else left, so I went up to bed too.

“Then, he came into my room while I was getting changed and asked if anything could happen between me and him.

“I said: ‘No, I’m not like that.’

“And then he stormed back out of the room.

“I went to bed and after a few hours I heard him coming up the stairs and he came back into my room again.

“He tried to get into the bed and put his hand down my trousers and started kissing my face.

But, Kelsey continued, in the years since 2008, she has been repeatedly labelled a liar by associates of Crowley who were aware she had gone to the police.

“The abuse kept going and going and going … the whole area was told I was a liar,” she said.

“I just wanted it out there that I was telling the truth,” she said.

“He has been convicted and he is now on the sex offenders list.

“He told me not to say anything and to be quiet and stuff like that.

“I said ‘stop’ twice before I managed to push him off and then he walked out of the room again.”

“I also suffer with nightmares. I should not be feeling like this, I never asked for any of this.

“His actions that night have also split a family that I cared deeply for – part of which is why I never wanted to take this any further in 2008.

“I have also been physically attacked walking home from school and branded a liar.

“My mother, stepdad and sisters have suffered with what has happened to me and watch me suffer in silence and became a shell of my former self.

“I cannot carry it any longer — it was never mine to carry.”