The High Court has awarded €500,000 damages against a Dublin man for the rape and sexual assault of a young woman.
The court had earlier frozen an award of €100,000 in damages and legal costs made to the same man, Mr Christopher Whelan, in July last.
He sued Dublin Bus for injuries sustained when a wild horse he was riding along Neilstown Road had collided with a bus.
Whelan (23), of St Mark's Gardens, Clondalkin, is currently serving a six year sentence imposed in March 2002 for the rape and sexual assault of the woman near Balgaddy Park, Clondalkin, in November 1999.
The woman is said to be severely psychologically traumatised by the rape.
After Whelan was convicted and sentenced, the woman initiated civil proceedings for damages in the High Court against him. She obtained judgment against him in default of appearance and the court ordered that the amount of damages be assessed.
At a hearing earlier this month, Mr Justice De Valera assessed the amount as €500,000.
Earlier, in July 2002, in a settlement approved by Mr Justice DeValera, Whelan secured €75,000 damages and legal costs of €25,000 against Dublin Bus.
Whelan had claimed that, when he was aged 14 years, he suffered brain and eye injuries when the wild horse he was riding along Neilstown Road collided with a bus. He said he had mounted the horse and was riding it when it started galloping before colliding with the bus.
After the award was approved in favour of Whelan, lawyers for the woman took proceedings to freeze the award and secured injunctions restraining the damages amount being paid out to Whelan.