The trial in Tralee of a father accused of child cruelty and sexual assault, has heard he would smack his youngest daughter every day.
The man cannot be identified by order of the court, and neither can the three complainants who are his children.
He’s on trial accused of child cruelty to three of his four children, and of sexually assaulting one daughter.
You're advised this report contains details of a distressing nature.
The man’s youngest daughter gave evidence to gardaí as a young child several years ago, and a DVD recording of this was played for the jury at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court.
She told gardaí that her father beat her and her siblings over unnecessary things, that he would get very mad, and he was not very nice to them.
She said he would smack her with his hands or a wooden spoon on the face or body, and would call her a fool and a pig.
The girl told gardaí he would smack her for eating her breakfast and dinner too slow, or for not finishing her lunch at school.
She said he would make her count to ten and hit her on the hands with the wooden spoon on every number, and if she flinched, he would start over again.
When asked how often this would happen, she said every school day, and that she would be smacked for other reasons on weekends.
The girl gave more examples of these alleged beatings to gardaí, which she claimed started when she was as young as four.
When asked by gardaí at the time if she had told anybody about any of this, she replied no.
During cross examination, Senior Counsel for the defence, David Sutton, put it to her that her father is fully defending this, and alleges these things did not happen.
Through her tears, the daughter, who is now a teenager, asked for a break at this point, and her father then began to sob from the defendant’s bench.
The trial will continue next week.
