Survivor of father’s abuse recounts restorative justice meetings in prison

Sophia Murphy, whose father John Murphy is serving an 18‑year sentence for rape and sexual abuse, has spoken about two restorative justice meetings with him in prison.

John Murphy was convicted at the Central Criminal Court in July 2018 after pleading guilty to the rape, indecent assault and sexual assault of Sophia between 1988 and 2001 in Mayo and Galway, and to a further assault in 2010. He had previously received an eight‑year term for abusing Sophia’s two younger sisters.

After waiving her right to anonymity, Sophia took part in a podcast hosted by Dublin sisters Paula, Joyce and June Kavanagh, who introduced her to restorative justice practitioner Marie Keenan, emeritus professor at University College Dublin.

The voluntary process allowed Sophia and her father to meet in prison in 2023 and again in December 2025. During the first meeting he asked for a hug, which she declined; in the second he requested a prayer, which she also refused.

Sophia said the sessions gave her some answers but also reinforced her decision not to see him again. She has since returned to counselling to process the emotional impact of confronting her father’s crimes.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels.