A MAN who attempted to rape a Longford woman on the shore of a Leitrim lake has been jailed for three years at the Central Criminal Court.
Tomas Urbonas (26), a Lithuanian father of one, Landmark Court, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, was convicted in July of sexual assault and attempted rape of the 23-year-old woman on April 8th, 2007.
Mr Justice Paul Butler yesterday directed that Urbonas's name be added to the register of sexual offenders and said the victim should be proud of herself for reporting the matter. He said it was an "appalling assault and attempt at rape" which had been halted by the actions of the victim.
Urbonas is the subject of a European arrest warrant for an alleged robbery in his home country. He will be extradited at the end of his sentence. He arrived in Ireland in 2005 and has four previous conviction here for public order offences, drink driving and possession of a weapon.
Det Garda Patrick Leonard told Conor Devally SC, prosecuting that the woman met Urbonas the day after spending the night with a friend of his. The court heard that the woman had consumed alcohol and half an ecstasy tablet the night before.
She intended to go home the next day and was at a bus stop when the man she had spent the night with and Urbonas cajoled her into getting into a car with them to go for a drink. Urbonas promised to drive her home later.
They picked up alcohol from an off-licence and went to a lake where Urbonas poured drink for the others but did not consume any himself.
The woman's companion from the night before then left her in the back seat of the two-door car with Urbonas in the front.
Urbonas got into the back seat where the assault occurred.
Mr Devally said the victim strongly defended herself, inflicting some minor injuries on him, and she managed to get out of the car. She had suffered bruising to her chest and legs.
Urbonas then drove off but the other man returned and went with the woman to a Garda station.
Peter Finlay SC, defending, said his client had pleaded not guilty and therefore the question of remorse could not arise. He said matters had "taken a very regrettable turn, when all this girl asked for was a lift home".
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she had been humiliated and violated. She said she was ashamed, particularly during the trial when her behaviour on the night before the attack was discussed.
Mr Justice Butler said it was very important that people reported sexual assaults and rapes and he appreciated that it put victims through "enormous difficulty".