James O'Reilly, 77, died in custody on June 27, 2022, from lung cancer. He had been imprisoned for just over two years of a 20-year sentence for 58 counts of rape against his sister and seven daughters. A new report details his final hours, including a compassionate visit from his wife and family members just hours before his death. His daughter, Bridget O'Donoghue, expressed anger and resentment on social media, stating her father 'got away too light'.
A convicted rapist who served prison time for abusing his sister and seven daughters died in custody on June 27, 2022. James O’Reilly, 77, passed away at the Midlands Prison after battling lung cancer. He had been imprisoned for just over two years of his 20-year sentence for 58 counts of rape. A new report by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) details O’Reilly’s final hours.
It states that his wife visited him shortly before his death, accompanied by one of their daughters and a daughter-in-law. They arrived 30 minutes late for their scheduled visit due to forgetting identification. Prison staff rescheduled the visit for later that day. A chaplain met the family members at O’Reilly’s cell, giving them private time before entering the cell with them to say some prayers. O’Reilly, from Thurles, Co Tipperary, was incarcerated since December 2019 and was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in August 2021. He also contracted Covid-19 in November of the same year. His condition worsened, requiring the assistance of healthcare assistants for daily care. Around 3 am on June 27, 2022, O’Reilly stopped breathing and a doctor was notified. He was pronounced dead at 8:09 am. His widow was informed of his passing by a prison chaplain. Following his death, his daughter Bridget O’Donoghue expressed her anger and resentment on social media. She condemned her father for his crimes, stating that he “got away too light”, and that he would “rot in hell”. She recounted the long-lasting trauma caused by his abuse, stating that she had no education, no life, and that her father had taken everything from her. During his 2020 trial, the court heard harrowing accounts of O’Reilly’s abuse. He had raped his 13-year-old sister for three years, his own daughter while his wife was in hospital after a miscarriage, and another daughter, who became pregnant as a result of the rape. Other daughters gave testimonies of enduring years of sexual abuse, starvation, and beatings. The OIP report praised prison staff for their compassion and efforts to facilitate O’Reilly’s wife’s visit. It made no recommendations.
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