00:00:01
S1: Dublin, 2016. A mother and father are accused of a crime against their daughter.
00:00:09
S2: Gardai began this investigation after a child was treated for serious injuries in a children's hospital last year.
00:00:15
S3: If you watch the CCTV when we brought her to the hospital, she wasn't crying. Nothing. Everything was normal.
00:00:23
S1: Having gone to hospital for help, they end up getting arrested.
00:00:27
S4: I cautioned her that she was not obliged to say anything unless she wished to do so.
00:00:31
S5: The man, who is 35, and the 25 year old woman appeared before the Dublin District Court following their arrest.
00:00:37
S1: What happens when you say the crimes you're charged with never happened?
00:00:42
S6: In a case like this, where the parents are consistently maintaining their innocence, that can make the parents start to look like they're just not cooperating.
00:00:55
S1: My name is Ruth Negga, and from October 8th, I'm going to begin telling you a story that will make you question everything.
00:01:04
S7: For three years. This couple signed on twice weekly for Baal as their children remained under a two slick hair order.
00:01:10
S8: Even my friends who used to come to me, they run. If I call them, they don't answer the phone.
00:01:16
S1: And then the state puts you on trial. The first of its kind.
00:01:20
S8: As soon as I hear guilty, I know what it means. That's the worst thing in my life.
00:01:27
S1: And it feels like the whole world is against you.
00:01:30
S9: Sentencing the couple, Judge Elma Sheahan described the offence as the most egregious breach of trust. The judge sentenced the father to five and a half years in prison and his wife to four years and nine months.
00:01:42
S10: For the most part. They were confined to their cells 23 hours a day.
00:01:46
S1: Not long after being sent to prison. Covid arrives and makes everything even harder.
00:01:52
S10: If you're in a room 23 hours a day, it really brings you to the edge of your reason.
00:01:58
S1: But then, from inside their jail cells, this couple begin to fight back against the state. They eventually win their freedom.
00:02:07
S11: It seems to us that insofar as the appellant's trial was concerned, it must be regarded as having been unsafe and unsatisfactory.
00:02:15
S1: The state don't give up, though a retrial is held before the truth starts to become clearer.
00:02:20
S10: The leading medical experts on both sides of this case are now saying the crime didn't happen. The system got it wrong.
00:02:28
S1: So why are this couple still fighting for justice?
00:02:32
S12: Over the last 15 months, we've been recording this series and reaching out to everyone involved.
00:02:37
S13: It creates a situation where these groups and people from these communities are under constant suspicion.
00:02:45
S1: First conviction is a six part podcast series and a TV documentary that tells a story of our time. As in right now.
00:02:54
S14: If the system had worked, this would never have been prosecuted.
00:02:58
S1: From RTE documentary on One and RTE investigates First, conviction publishes weekly on podcast and radio from October 8th, followed by a TV documentary on November 12th.
00:03:10
S15: If you do have any knowledge or information on this story, please contact us immediately and in confidence.
00:03:17
S12: You can reach us by email. Documentaries or investigations at.
00:03:24
S3: They started on burdening us with questions.
00:03:28
S1: Prepared to enter a story where nothing is as it seems.
00:03:32
S3: Saying we don't believe the story of the injury to our daughter.
00:03:36
S1: First conviction will be available from wherever you listen.
00:03:39
S8: Tell me if you're hiding anything. Tell the truth, I said. I'm not hiding anything.
S1: Dublin, 2016. A mother and father are accused of a crime against their daughter.
00:00:09
S2: Gardai began this investigation after a child was treated for serious injuries in a children's hospital last year.
00:00:15
S3: If you watch the CCTV when we brought her to the hospital, she wasn't crying. Nothing. Everything was normal.
00:00:23
S1: Having gone to hospital for help, they end up getting arrested.
00:00:27
S4: I cautioned her that she was not obliged to say anything unless she wished to do so.
00:00:31
S5: The man, who is 35, and the 25 year old woman appeared before the Dublin District Court following their arrest.
00:00:37
S1: What happens when you say the crimes you're charged with never happened?
00:00:42
S6: In a case like this, where the parents are consistently maintaining their innocence, that can make the parents start to look like they're just not cooperating.
00:00:55
S1: My name is Ruth Negga, and from October 8th, I'm going to begin telling you a story that will make you question everything.
00:01:04
S7: For three years. This couple signed on twice weekly for Baal as their children remained under a two slick hair order.
00:01:10
S8: Even my friends who used to come to me, they run. If I call them, they don't answer the phone.
00:01:16
S1: And then the state puts you on trial. The first of its kind.
00:01:20
S8: As soon as I hear guilty, I know what it means. That's the worst thing in my life.
00:01:27
S1: And it feels like the whole world is against you.
00:01:30
S9: Sentencing the couple, Judge Elma Sheahan described the offence as the most egregious breach of trust. The judge sentenced the father to five and a half years in prison and his wife to four years and nine months.
00:01:42
S10: For the most part. They were confined to their cells 23 hours a day.
00:01:46
S1: Not long after being sent to prison. Covid arrives and makes everything even harder.
00:01:52
S10: If you're in a room 23 hours a day, it really brings you to the edge of your reason.
00:01:58
S1: But then, from inside their jail cells, this couple begin to fight back against the state. They eventually win their freedom.
00:02:07
S11: It seems to us that insofar as the appellant's trial was concerned, it must be regarded as having been unsafe and unsatisfactory.
00:02:15
S1: The state don't give up, though a retrial is held before the truth starts to become clearer.
00:02:20
S10: The leading medical experts on both sides of this case are now saying the crime didn't happen. The system got it wrong.
00:02:28
S1: So why are this couple still fighting for justice?
00:02:32
S12: Over the last 15 months, we've been recording this series and reaching out to everyone involved.
00:02:37
S13: It creates a situation where these groups and people from these communities are under constant suspicion.
00:02:45
S1: First conviction is a six part podcast series and a TV documentary that tells a story of our time. As in right now.
00:02:54
S14: If the system had worked, this would never have been prosecuted.
00:02:58
S1: From RTE documentary on One and RTE investigates First, conviction publishes weekly on podcast and radio from October 8th, followed by a TV documentary on November 12th.
00:03:10
S15: If you do have any knowledge or information on this story, please contact us immediately and in confidence.
00:03:17
S12: You can reach us by email. Documentaries or investigations at.
00:03:24
S3: They started on burdening us with questions.
00:03:28
S1: Prepared to enter a story where nothing is as it seems.
00:03:32
S3: Saying we don't believe the story of the injury to our daughter.
00:03:36
S1: First conviction will be available from wherever you listen.
00:03:39
S8: Tell me if you're hiding anything. Tell the truth, I said. I'm not hiding anything.
