A Kerry father of six has been jailed for 2 1/2 years for sexually assaulting a woman in his car. Passing sentence in the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Mr Justice Smith said: "I think this case should be a warning to other young girls not to accept lifts with strangers in cars".
The judge said he had received a number of testimonials on John Hallissey's behalf but said the offence merited a jail sentence.
He backdated the prison term to May 18th when Hallissey (45), of St Mitchell's Crescent, Tralee, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the then 21-year-old woman on August 15th, 1996. The maximum penalty for sexual assault is five years.
The woman was subjected to a frightening and unpleasant experience, but the State accepted that the defendant's guilty plea had contributed greatly to her rehabilitation, he said.
On Monday, the court heard the woman had to jump from Hallissey's moving car in the Connor Pass to escape him. Arrested the next day, Hallissey told gardai: "I leaned over to open the door. I rubbed off her when I was trying to get my caper." He did not explain what he meant by this.
A number of testimonials were handed in court, including one from Cllr Billy Leen, of Tralee Urban Council. Mr Leen's letter described the offence as "out of character" as Hallissey was an honest family man who had never been in trouble before.
Ms Maureen Clark, prosecuting, said the victim was wary of accepting a lift from a man but they had chatted and he initially appeared friendly. Hallissey made some excuse to drive on when they came to the area where she wanted to get out. His talk then became very personal. "He said he only wanted a ride and would pay for it," said Ms Clark. The woman struggled very valiantly, Ms Clark said, as Hallissey tried to open her trousers. The car was moving very slowly and she jumped out.
Some tourists brought her to a friend's house and gardai were called. The victim was able to give a very good description of Hallissey and his car.