A social media personality, blogger and successful salon owner from Coalisland has spoken of “267 days of pain” following an incredible legal battle that ensued after two individuals allegedly claimed they had a right to her child under a “gentleman’s agreement”.
The young mother-of-three, Roisin Doherty (31) took to her social media platforms to describe the ordeal, starting by saying “the truth always prevails”.
Roisin – who has amassed an online following of over 130,000 people – explains that while she is refusing to stay silent any longer, there are still “legal limits” on what she can say, and how she can say it.
In a shocking statement, Roisin explains: “Before I go any further, let me be clear, I wish I didn’t have to address rumours or explain myself at all.
“But when your life becomes the subject of whispers, opinions and gossip especially in the absence of truth, silence starts to feel like a punishment.
“What I’m about to share is heavy. It’s painful. It’s deeply disturbing. A while I never set out to hurt or trigger anyone, I can’t stay silent any longer. I’m sorry if this is hard to read. But I have to speak. Because the truth matters and mine deserves to be heard.”
The avid lifestyle and beauty blogger explained that the last eight months have been the most “brutal of our lives” enduring a legal battle she says “would destroy most families”.
“One of my children, was taken from her school, without my knowledge, under claims so false and far-fetched they should never have made it past a courtroom door,” she adds.
“Allegations were made that she wasn’t my child, that I’d “given” her away before she was even born under a gentleman’s agreement. That she was in danger with me now that I’ve “appeared” back into her life… lies. All of it.”
And, while Roisin is adamant that all of the allegations are lies, she speaks of her disappointment that these lies were so “easily” believed in court.
“Not by social services. Not by professionals. But by people with power who never once asked for physical proof of my child’s life,” she said.
“She wasn’t taken by social services or any trained professional. She wasn’t removed through a safeguarding process. She was taken by two people who claimed she was theirs with no evidence, only their word. No notice. No investigation. No contact. And the court system backed them.
“She was withheld from us, from me, her daddy, her siblings, her granny, her auntie and uncles. We weren’t allowed to speak to her. To comfort her. To explain what was happening.
“It felt like my child had died. Imagine that. Imagine trying to sleep at night not knowing where your child is or how she’s doing.
“That’s the part that will haunt me forever, grieving my daughter like she had died even though she was still alive. No parent deserves that.
“Especially not a mother who has devoted her entire life to her children. When I finally held her in my arms again, she clung to me, begging not to be taken.”
Roisin speaks of the ordeal with a sense of genuine suffering and trauma. The need to “defend your entire life, your identity, your motherhood, your truth” had a profound impact on her physical and mental wellbeing.
She adds: “You breathe differently. You sleep differently. You survive differently and you think differently.”
However, holding to her truth – she attests that she never “questioned whether it would come out” but describes the road to “justice” as “war”.
Championing her legal team, social services, police and professionals for “confirming what I had been saying from the beginning” Roisin’s fury is directed at the two individuals concerned and the “system” – which she said “still looks away”.
Perhaps even more abhorrent than the claims Rosin has made thus far, is the insinuation that the individuals involved had been “building” their story “quietly, behind the scenes” long before her daughter was “taken”.
Said Roisin: “Twisting truths. Planting lies. Shaping the story they wanted the world to believe. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you because I didn’t, not at first.
“By the time I was pulled into court, they had already poisoned the air with their version of events. So I wasn’t just fighting for my daughter. I was fighting a story that had been written about me, without me. And I had no idea the pages were already turning.”
Beyond the courtroom, Roisin says she has been “stalked, harassed, followed, judged, assaulted and treated like a threat”.
“People watched from the shadows, feeding off the drama while pretending it wasn’t happening. Anonymous reports. Unmarked cars. Strangers slowing down outside. Every knock at the door made my heart stop,” she said.
“And not once did I break the law. Not once did I put my children in harm’s way. I was punished not for wrongdoing but for telling the truth. For refusing to stay quiet. For being a mother who wouldn’t comply with a lie.
“Let that sink in.
“They tried to tear me apart in public and in private. But they failed. Because the truth never needed drama. It just needed time. And now that time has come.
“I never wanted to turn my private pain into public content display. I never wanted to be a story online. But when people start speculating about silence, you’re forced into a decision – stay quiet and let them write your story, or speak up and take it back.”
Roisin says she persisted – despite feeling like a part of her “died” in the courtroom – and today, said she and her family are moving forward – not as the same people – but as “survivors”.
She has announced that the family have relocated and are “reclaiming” their lives “piece by piece”.
The entire affair, she says, has placed a “massive” financial burden on her family but she will continue to pursue her career in order to rebuild. At this stage, however, she is unsure as to whether that will be online or offline.
She tells her following: “If you see me collaborating, creating, or working harder than ever before, now you’ll know why”.
