Taoiseach’s damning deflection on sexual violence spike has set a dangerous precedent. Ken O’Flynn

Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn has strongly criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin for what he described as the Fianna Fail leaders “baffling deployment of diversionary tactics in response to a clear public interest question relating to deficits in the reporting methodology employed by the state with respect to serious criminal cases.”

The Cork North Central TD confronted the Taoiseach with data from the latest Courts Service Annual Report, which shows a 13.6% rise in new sexual offence cases over the past year.

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Deputy O’Flynn criticised the continued lack of transparency in how the Irish justice system reports on those charged with and convicted of serious crimes and called for immediate implementation of a reporting process that would allow for the publication of anonymised demographic data on serious criminal cases:

“The Courts Service has confirmed that over 3,650 new sexual offence cases were received in 2024—a 13.7% increase on the previous year. Garda data show a 15% year-on-year rise in reported sexual crimes, with rape, sexual assault, and indecent exposure all climbing sharply in just the first quarter of 2025.”

“Yet for some bizarre reason, when I raised this horrifying trend with him, the Taoiseach chose to deliberately deflect from this issue by citing decades old historical data of which we are all painfully aware. I am talking about the here and now. I am talking about a clear and present danger that requires urgent statistical analysis and robust evidence-based policy response.”

“What truly alarms me about the Taoiseach’s reply is not just the political reframing he engaged in. It is the message he sent to all of Government and indeed to our society that this is an issue we are not going to talk about.”

“This is not just your run of the mill bury your head sand political reaction. It is the suffocation of a vital national debate.”

“That is a dangerous precedent that quite bluntly belittles and diminishes the victims of these heinous crimes. It signals to them quite clearly that the Government which he leads will not risk offending the political sensibilities of the chattering classes, even if that means the continuation of a major reporting deficit that has only recently been addressed in the United Kingdom, where anonymised data on serious criminal offenders is routinely available to the public and the press.”

“A Government that prosecutes more people than ever before — but refuses to tell us who they are or where they come from — is not being honest with its citizens. It is hiding behind bureaucracy instead of leading with principle.”

“This is an appalling level of arrogance.”

“Let us be clear. We have seen a 50% surge in male victims reporting sexual violence, indicating not just more willingness to come forward, but also a disturbing broadening of the victim profile. In the Central Criminal Court, more than 430 people were sentenced for rape last year alone—nearly 10 of them to life imprisonment.”

“So when someone of the Taoiseach’s stature says these figures are just historical abuse working its way through the courts, they are not only misinformed—they are missing the danger facing women, children, and vulnerable people today.

“We owe it to the victims—not just of the past, but of the present—to stop downplaying this crisis. There is a real and measurable increase in sexual violence, and the data from our police, our courts, and our frontline services could not be clearer.”