A man who raped two teenagers going to their first adult disco has been jailed for 12 years by Mr Justice Barr at the Central Criminal Court.
Anthony Dunne (39), separated, of Virginia Heights, Tallaght, Co Dublin, first held a blade to the throats of his 17-year-old victims and asked them if they wanted to live or die. The terrified girls pleaded with him not to kill them before he raped them in a secluded area of Co Kildare where he had driven them after binding their hands and legs. Earlier, he had offered them a lift from outside the Poitin Stil pub in Rathcoole where they were hitching a lift to a disco in Naas.
Dunne, who has 18 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to committing the rapes on November 8th, 1997. His previous jail terms included 13 years in England for armed robbery and three years imposed by Dublin Circuit Criminal court for burglary and indecent assault. Mr Justice Barr described Dunne's rape of the two girls as "appalling, deliberate cruelty". The victim impact reports made it abundantly clear that great harm had been done to the victims and it would take a long time for them to recover.
Det Sgt Dominic Higgins said Dunne eventually put his victims out of the car in Kill village, where they raised the alarm. The following day his car was stopped at a routine checkpoint. While his identity was being checked, he fled on foot. Sgt Higgins said Dunne eventually made arrangements through his brother that he surrender by arrangement with his solicitor.
Both victims appealed to Mr Justice Barr not to let Dunne out of prison, because their lives had been ruined by him. They wanted an example made of him.