DANIEL WALSHE JAILED IN DUNDALK AS FAMILY MOURNS HIS REVELATION AND SENTENCE

In January 2002, a father whose two daughters endured terrible sexual abuse expressed profound sorrow and anger after the conviction of Daniel Walshe, a man who was also a father of two. Walshe was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for abusing three young girls. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke of their suffering: "We have cried so much that there are no tears left. We were devastated when our daughters revealed the horrific abuse inflicted upon them over a long period by this self-confessed paedophile." Walshe, aged 42, used sweets to lure the children to his home where the assaults occurred. The abuse only came to light after one of the girls, aged five at the time, confided in her mother. The father described the impact: "The whole process has been a painful one and has taken its toll on us, both emotionally and physically. Now, we just want to move forward and help our children grow in as normal an environment as possible." He shared that his family had endured an 'unimaginable journey of pain, grief, and despair,' adding, "We always believed in the innate goodness of human beings. We lived by the ethic that we would do no harm and actively do good. Perhaps we were naive, I don’t know." Victim impact reports indicate that both girls are now doing well, though they emphasized that this progress is entirely due to their parents' efforts to stabilize their lives, not Walshe's actions. The father said, "The only reason they are doing well is because my wife and I have focused all our strength into supporting them. We did nothing to warrant this. We did not hurt anyone. But, God knows, there were many times when we wanted to physically harm the abuser of our children. We are not like him." During court proceedings at Dundalk Circuit Court, Walshe pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the three girls. A detective described the offences, which took place between May 1997 and September 2000, as "horrific." One girl was abused over three years starting at age five; the abuse ceased when she refused to enter Walshe’s home. Walshe also abused a second girl, aged four at the time, whom he lured into his home by placing a mask over her eyes before assaulting her. The third victim, aged five, was also enticed with the promise of sweets; she was locked inside, masked, and assaulted, with Walshe taking photographs of her. The young girl managed to escape after refusing to play anymore and alerting her mother. Det Garda Maureen McFadden, who prepared reports on the victims, testified that the trauma would likely have long-term effects, stating, "Their childhood innocence has been destroyed." The court learned that Walshe was estranged from his own family. His defence lawyer described Walshe's difficult upbringing, linking it to his current loneliness, depression, and alcohol dependency. Walshe had been attending the Granada Institute, which specializes in treating sexual offenders. His lawyer also argued that Walshe was unlikely to re-offend. Judge Raymond Groarke described Walshe’s actions as "cold, careful, cunning, and calculated," and initially sentenced him to nine years in prison, suspending the final 18 months. The judge rejected a plea to keep Walshe’s name confidential but ordered that no details revealing the identities of the victims or their families be published.