A WOMAN who was repeatedly raped as a young girl by evil Joseph Hogan has called for stricter conditions on child sex abusers after their release from prison.
Sonya Stokes, 47, originally from Limerick but now living in Portlaoise, told The Irish Sun: “He doesn’t deserve to breathe fresh air.”
Sonya Stokes was repeatedly raped as a young girl by evil Joseph Hogan[/caption]
Evil Hogan was released from prison after serving ten years[/caption]
Victims of sexual violence are pushing for a bill to provide better protections[/caption]
The mum-of-five has waived her right to anonymity to reveal details of the paedo’s release back into the community.
The 61-year-old pervert walked free from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise earlier this year after serving ten years of a 15-year sentence.
Hogan, of Limerick, was found guilty at the Central Criminal Court of three counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape.
The paedo — who also has convictions in the UK for sexual assault — raped Sonya at a house in Limerick, starting when she was just seven between December 1984 and December 1988.
Sonya has been campaigning since the sicko’s release for stricter release conditions for convicted reoffenders.
She met with Sinn Fein representatives at Leinster House last week together with fellow child abuse survivors, Leona O’Callaghan and Shaneda Daly.
The women are pushing for a bill to provide access to Civil Protection Orders for victims of sexual violence.
Sonya told us: “I’m hoping that they will come on board to support us on this.
“It’s a continuous campaign. I’m passionate about this. I’m dedicated to this and I’m going to continue to support people.
“I got justice, that’s perfect. But the fear inside me will always be there. I’ll always carry the pain.
‘PRETTY BROKEN’
“I might look happy, but inside I am very pretty broken. If I was never raped, I wouldn’t have that feeling in my soul.
“He should never have gotten out, he shouldn’t be out in the streets, to be honest. He doesn’t deserve to breathe fresh air.”
The Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025 aims to provide victims the right to a Civil Protection Order from their abusers and the right to be informed of their whereabouts.
Sonya said after Hogan’s release from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, he was initially put up in a local hotel.
She said: “When he got out, they got him a taxi, which was paid with the taxpayers’ money. They put him up in a hotel where I helped victims. I was actually in the hotel at the time.
“They put him in under a different name as well. So they were actually trying to protect him.
‘WHERE IS MY PROTECTION?’
“But where is my protection as a victim? Am I safe? I don’t know. I don’t feel protected.”
Ireland, unlike other countries across Europe, does not have a publicly accessible sex offender register to prevent pervs from going underground if outed.
Sonya added: “Are the children being protected in terms of not having sex offenders near the school or a daycare centre? They shouldn’t be allowed to live in the same town as us.
“I’m going to keep fighting until we get what we want. The justice system needs serious reform.”
“He should never have gotten out, he shouldn’t be out in the streets, to be honest. He doesn’t deserve to breathe fresh air.”
Sonya Stokes
Leona also shared how she dreads the day her perpetrator will be released back into her hometown, onto the same streets she and her children walk.
She was raped in a graveyard when she was aged 13 by Patrick O’Dea, also known as ‘Whacker’, on dates in 1994 and 1995.
‘WE DESERVE SAFETY’
Leona told us: “At the end of the process, we deserve a sense of safety. We are tired of fighting.”
Shaneda, who was abused almost every day from the age of four by her father, Harry Daly, said they will keep fighting for “those who come after us”.
She added: “We will continue to support survivors and push for the changes so desperately needed in this country, even as we navigate a flawed legal system.
“We may look okay on the outside, but inside, we carry the scars. That’s why we fight – for those who come after us.”
Sinn Fein spokesperson on Justice Matt Carthy has introduced the bill to provide access to Civil Protection Orders for victims of sexual violence at the Dail.
“We may look OK on the outside, but inside, we carry the scars. That’s why we fight – for those who come after us.”
Shaned Daly
He said: “The measures which currently exist do not give victims and survivors a sense of safety and security in relation to fears that the perpetrator in their case will not seek them out, approach them or harass them.
“We need to empower victims and survivors and help them to have the sense of safety and security needed to rebuild their lives.
“This Bill will make it possible for the Courts to issue a Civil Protection Orders for the complainant where the courts have found an offence has been committed under a range of laws related to rape and sexual assault.
“When the perpetrator is released, the potential to put in place such an order should be provided for in law for those who require them.”
