A Kerry teenager whose aggravated sexual assaults of two women within weeks included a threat to kill one of the victims has been jailed for 11 years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court.
William Taylor (18), from Fieries, Farranfore, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of the first woman on July 30th and three further charges in relation to sexually assaulting the second victim on September 24th, 2006, while using a knife and threatening to kill her on the same occasion.
Mr Justice Carney said he believed "the only safe course" to ensure Taylor wouldn't commit the same crimes again within weeks of being released would be to impose a life sentence, but noted that the Director of Public Prosecutions wasn't seeking to have a life sentence imposed.
"This is a case in which the DPP has responded to a request from me of his view regarding sentence," he said.
Prosecuting counsel Caroline Biggs had earlier told Mr Justice Carney that the DPP regarded Taylor's offences as being in the higher range, but in view of the mitigating factors in the case they "fell into the middle range" as far as penalty was concerned.
Mr Justice Carney said that in imposing sentence he was taking into account that the DPP wasn't seeking life and also Taylor's age, previous good character and guilty pleas. He noted also judgments that a person couldn't be deprived of liberty on the apprehension that he or she might commit a crime in the future.
He said that discounting all the mitigating factors as outlined, he imposed 10 years for the threat to kill and 11 years for the aggravated sexual assaults.
All the sentences are to run concurrently and Taylor is also to undergo 10 years of post-release supervision.
Garda Adrian Brennan told Ms Biggs that Taylor was a secondary school student when he broke into the victims' homes to commit his crimes. He agreed with defence counsel Anthony Sammon that Taylor's guilty pleas were flagged in advance and were of assistance to the victims, one of whom said she was grateful she didn't have to attend court to give evidence.
He agreed that Taylor was co-operative with gardaí and had difficulty expressing himself. He believed Taylor was not a very intelligent person, and was very immature with very little sexual experience at the time.
Mr Sammon submitted that one report before the court suggested Taylor had immediately expressed "remorse, shame and guilt" for his actions.