by Barbara Naughton

In April 2002, Patrick Naughton appeared in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, charged with raping his daughter Barbara Naughton. Mr. Patrick Naughton was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in prison. At the sentence hearing, the Judge presiding over the case, Mr. Justice O' Sullivan revealed that he had been contacted by Government officials during the trial. In publicly criticising what he called this 'totally improper approach' the Judge set in motion a media that culminated in the resignation of a Junior Minister, Deputy Robert Molloy. At the time, government colleagues, including the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Deputy Molloy's party colleague, Mary Harney, seemed to defend Deputy Molloy's ill-advised actions, oblivious to Barbara's Naughton's suffering. The following account is Barbara Naughton's story.