AROUND 200 people picketed the former home of a paedophile at Lurgan Tarry on Monday night.
The family of one of his victims expressed their thanks for the support the community had shown at the protest.
Their 15-year-old daughter was indecently assaulted by convicted rapist 64-year-old Thomas McDonagh.
He was given a three year proba
tionary sentence for the attack and, in 1997, he was jailed for six years for the rape of a 15-year-old girl
The girl's mother said: “My family and I have suffered tremendous strain since this man attacked my daughter.
“She is distraught, with McDonagh living so close-by there is no way she is able to even attempt to put this behind her and move on with her life.
“We saw McDonagh in the house, we have been told he is allowed in the house and then we were told he wasn’t - it’s a disgrace.
“There has been so much hassle and ill treatment from the authorities it has made me feel like we are the ones in the wrong.
“People like McDonagh should not be allowed to get away with what they have done and we should be protected by the authorities, instead we have been made to feel guilty.
“I have had to cope for the sake of my family and my daughter, otherwise I don’t know how I would have got through this.
“It is tough to believe the sentence McDonagh got, despite the fact he had offended before. We have a right to be told there are people like this living in the area, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”
The family said the demonstration was a very peaceful event although the girl's mother had second thoughts about joining it, “I did not want to go out because I did not know what was going to happen.
“But when I joined I soon realised the people had come out to support my family.
“For a long time now we have felt alone and isolated, but after Monday night, I and my family have been delighted with the support shown for us.
“There were hordes of people out from all over, not just from Lurgan Tarry, I would like to thank them all for their kind support.
“It really means so much to me, I don’t think I have been so happy and I hope we can draw a line under this and move on.”
The full article contains 420 words and appears in Lurgan Mail newspaper.
