THE WOMAN at the centre of the Listowel sexual assault case has appealed to people in her home town not to judge her, and expressed hope that she would be able to continue living in the north Kerry town.
The 24-year-old unnamed woman said she has been shunned by some persons in Listowel since her assailant, Danny Foley (35), from Meen, Listowel, was sentenced to seven years in jail with two years suspended for sexually assaulting her in a car park in Listowel on June 15th, 2008.
The woman said she had considered leaving Listowel after some people had shunned her following Foley’s conviction, and she had been refused service in a chip shop where Foley had worked, but she wanted to stay in her home town.
“At the time when the court was over and I was getting hassle and everything, it had crossed my mind , but hopefully now I can stay in Listowel because it is my home town, and I just hope that people can just not look at me anymore and not judge me,” she said.
The mother of one said she had felt that people had stared at her because of her decision to proceed with the complaint against Foley.
“Because Listowel is such a small town, and they are staring at me and people throwing looks – I was refused service in a local chip shop because he worked there, because he has friends there . . . I don’t want to be treated any different to anyone else,” she said.
“Hopefully I will be able to move on. I know in my heart and soul I will get stronger, but I will never forget it – it will always be there – but I am not going to let it ruin the rest of my life because I have a responsibility as a mother as well to raise my son in the best way I can.”
Speaking at a press conference at the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre in Tralee, the woman said while her life had been hugely traumatic ever since Foley sexually assaulted her, she had no regrets over proceeding with her criminal case against him.
“Even though I literally cried myself to sleep since the trial being on, I don’t regret it one bit because at the end of the day, anytime I go to sleep, I said ‘No’ and I repeatedly said ‘No’, so I would do it all over again if I had to,” she said.
The young woman paid tribute to the gardaí in Listowel who investigated the case and supported her, and also thanked the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre for their support throughout the last 18 months, before going on to say she bore no ill will to Foley’s family.
“I would like to say to them , I didn’t want this to go so public, and I know they must be going through an awful time at the moment, but all I did was tell the truth and I am not going to feel guilty about that, and I am not going to feel ashamed.
“I knew Danny for nine years. To me, he was the person that everyone thought he was. I trusted him, I felt comfortable with him. For him to go and do that, I don’t think I will every feel comfortable or trust a man again.
“I never hated Danny, I always considered him as a friend, but I am hurt. I will never forgive him for what he has done to me, but I can never hate him,” said the woman.
Se added that Foley had effectively got five years for sexually assaulting her, but that she had to live with that for life.
Asked about the behaviour of some 50 family and friends of Foley who queued to shake his hand in court prior to the sentencing, she said she did not think they should have been let into court as she felt intimidated by them when giving her victim impact statement.
