A WOMAN WHO subjected her step-child to beatings with pokers and force fed her vinegar, mustard, salt and chilli powder has been jailed for two years.

Part-time cleaner Bridget Kenneally (49) of Duncoran in Youghal, Co Cork pleaded guilty to one count of assault of Cora Desmond at Kenny’s Lane in Youghal on a date between 1 October and 31 October 2009.

She was sentenced on a background of abusing Cora Desmond for over 10 years.

Desmond, now aged 21, gave a powerful victim impact statement at a sentencing hearing in Cork Circuit Criminal Court today.

She detailed the abuse which occurred at the hands of Kenneally from when she was between the ages of six and 16.

Judge Sean O’Donnabhain heard that when she was five, Desmond’s father – who had full custody of her – entered into a relationship with Kenneally.

Kenneally initially seemed “nice and caring”, she said, adding that this didn’t last long.

“About six months in to the 11-year relationship, the horrific abuse began with a few slaps and punches but then gradually got worse,” Desmond told the court.

“Throughout the years it became clear to me that I was nothing but a punching bag to Bridget.”

The court was also told that Kenneally’s children could spend time with friends of their choosing, but that Desmond and her sister were refused the same freedom, instead being confined to their residence to clean up after Kenneally and her children.

“Bridget gave me the name Cora Ella and told me I was just like Cinderella because I was the one who was not wanted or loved,” Desmond said.

She told the court that she lived a double life for 11 years, saying she was “happy, free and bubbly” in school while feeling trapped at home as she awaited her next beating or punishment.

“For 11 years she told me no one would believe me if I spoke out regarding the vile, sadistic, physical and mental torture she subjected me to,” Desmond said.

“I was made to lie about my injuries and tell people I was just a clumsy child. One of the many lies I had to tell was how I broke my thumb. The real truth is she broke it. She twisted my hand so much that it actually snapped the bone.”

Mental and physical torture

Desmond also told the court that on one occasion, she was hospitalised after the right side of her head and face swelled following a beating.

She claimed Kenneally made her tell doctors that she hit her head in Funderland, which she had attended two weeks previously.

The supermarket worker, who said she is extremely grateful to gardaí for the sensitivity shown to her in the lead up to the case, told the court that her childhood involved mental and physical torture.

“[During] one of the recurring daily punishments, she would feed me excessive amounts of salt, pepper, mustard, chilli powder and vinegar,” Desmond said.

“Since my departure from her care, I have long-lasting negative reactions to certain smells and tastes. It brings back memories and flashbacks of the torture she put me through.

“There were constant verbal threats that she would kill me if I ever told anyone of the abuse I endured.”

Desmond said that because of the “heinous crime of cruelty” inflicted on her, she suffers from depression and is afraid to go anywhere on her own.

“You robbed me of my carefree childhood that every child is entitled to. I now understand that none of it was my fault and I didn’t deserve any of it though that is what she made me believe,” she said.

Beaten with pokers

Meanwhile, Garda Sergeant Mark Ward said that during the abuse, Cora Desmond was regularly beaten with pokers, sticks of the vacuum cleaner, belts and spatulas.

The court was told that Desmond was hospitalised for a week in 2008 as a result of her injuries.

The garda said that Kenneally called her step-daughter a variation of Cinderella and treated her and her sister differently from her biological children.

He also explained that Desmond was afraid to reveal the abuse, as Bridget Kenneally told her she would be split from her sibling if she did so.

Concerns were raised over the years by a principal of a national school she attended and on one occasion, a GP found 50 bruises on her body.

Kenneally was eventually interviewed informally in 2016 and arrested in 2017 after a complaint had been made against her. She made no admissions to gardaí but eventually entered a guilty plea in the case.

The garda sergeant said that the guilty plea was of assistance to the court given that a trial would have involved 14 witnesses.

Barrister Patrick O’Riordan, who was representing Kenneally, said that his client had entered a guilty plea and had paid €5,000 in compensation. He also noted that she was a woman without previous convictions.

Counsel told the court that Kenneally had six children in her care at the time of the offences and was experiencing difficulty coping.

He said his client had “a protracted pyschiatric history” and wanted to apologise to the victim in the case.

The judge asked Desmond if she felt the apology was genuine. Desmond said she didn’t believe that Kenneally was remorseful for her actions.

Taking the entirety of the abuse in to consideration, the judge said a custodial sentence was warranted.

“This was a case of continued brutality. This was systemic abuse and cruelty. She (Cora) was deprived of a childhood because of the pain and misery she was subjected to,” he said.

Judge O’Donnabhain jailed Kenneally for two years saying that he was horrified by the tale of hospitalisation and force feeding of the victim.

Following the sentencing Cora Desmond urged other victims of child abuse to come forward.

“I thought I was wasting my time and she would get away with what she done to me but thankfully I got some sort of justice,” she said.

“It is something. I would say to people to speak up. Don’t be afraid to tell someone. Tell someone and get out of the situation sooner rather than later. I was six when it started and sixteen when it finished.

“I was skinny and small and the easiest target. It is over. I am out of it and living my life.”