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Ireland
Man denies sexual abuse allegations at inquest
Thursday, 15 February 2007 16:06
Dublin County Coroners Court has heard a man denying that any sexual abuse occurred at a house in Dalkey in south Dublin.

The man was giving his evidence at an inquest into the death of a baby girl found stabbed 40 times in April 1973.

A sister of the man, Cynthia Owen, alleges she was abused by five people and she says she gave birth to the infant when aged 11 and witnessed her mother stabbing the infant to death.

AdvertisementPeter Murphy Jnr who was previously identified as 'C' took the witness stand this morning and denied ever sexually abusing two of his sisters, including Cynthia Owen.

He said the allegations made against him were all lies; his sister Cynthia claims he abused her at the Dalkey family home.

Mr Murphy Jnr said this did not happen, and he also said the evidence given yesterday by another sister that he abused her was also untrue.

Earlier, a statement was read into the public record from Cynthia Owen's mother, the late Josephine Murphy.

In the statement Mrs Murphy said she was aware of allegations that she murdered the baby girl found in D?n Laoghaire in April 1973, but she said this was not true.

She said Ms Owen was not the mother of that infant.

The jury also heard a statement given in 1995 by a niece of Cynthia Owen, Teresa Murphy, who has since committed suicide.

In the statement given to garda?, Teresa Murphy said she was sexually abused in the family home in Dalkey by a man identified as 'A'.

The inquest continues.

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Story from RT? News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0215/baby.html