Rachel Kiely killer gets four more years

The Court of Criminal Appeal has increased from eight to 12 years the sentence imposed on a man for the rape and killing of Rachel…

The Court of Criminal Appeal has increased from eight to 12 years the sentence imposed on a man for the rape and killing of Rachel Kiely (22) in Cork.

Ian Horgan of Ballincollig, Co Cork, was 16 when he attacked Ms Kiely while she was walking her dogs in a park near his home.

He was sentenced in 2002 at the age of 18. During a 26-day trial in the Central Criminal Court he had denied murdering and raping the Ms Kiely.

A retrial was ordered after the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned the conviction in 2004, and last March Horgan was found guilty of the rape and manslaughter of Ms Kiely.

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Mr Justice Barry White sentenced Horgan to eight years in jail suspending the last six.

Ms Kiely's family had expressed disappointment at the sentence after the retrial, and the Director of Public Prosecution appealed the duration, claiming it was too lenient. Today the CCA agreed and increased the sentence.

Horgan, who pleaded guilty to rape and manslaughter at the retrial, was due for release in September this year.

Ms Kiely's disappearance was discovered when her dogs returned home without her. Her body was later found on rough ground near a ruined building.

The State pathologist at the time, Prof John Harbison, found she had been manually strangled and raped.