Gardaí found rucksack after woman ambushed
NICOLA DONNELLY
A MAN who ambushed a young woman in Galway and dragged her to where he had prepared a “rape kit” has received a 12-year sentence with three years suspended.
Mr Justice Paul Carney described the crimes as at “the upper end of the scale” since Russell Murray’s “rape-kit” contained three prepared strips of duct tape, Vaseline, toilet roll, a dog lead, rope and a red saw handle.
The judge recalled how Murray (33) told gardaí his intention was to “grab a girl, the first girl who came along and commit oral rape and use the handle of the saw to penetrate her. . .”
Murray, of Clydagh, Moycullen, Co Galway, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to assaulting and attempting to rape the woman at a housing estate in the early hours of April 8th, 2009. He had some previous minor road traffic convictions.
Det Garda Barry Carolan revealed that Murray grabbed the 24-year-old Polish victim as she walked to work and dragged her to where he had packed the kit in a rucksack, but she quickly escaped his grasp when she pulled the balaclava off his head.
Det Garda Carolan told Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, that gardaí thought they were dealing with a mugging until they found the rucksack and assorted “rape-kit”. Det Garda Carolan said colleagues arrested Murray when he returned to the estate later that day and gave them a false account of why he had left his van at the scene.
He said Murray told gardaí after arrest that he had initially intended to mug someone but got a “sexual urge” to rape a woman.
Det Garda Carolan said Murray was “ambiguous” as to what he would have done with a potential victim after he had raped her. He told gardaí: “It wasn’t in my mind to hurt her but it’s hard to say.”
The detective garda said colleagues found on Murray on his arrest a digital camera card, containing graphic “up skirt” images of women in Galway pubs and clubs.
Det Garda Carolan revealed that Murray had moved to Galway as a young teenager when the rest of his siblings were taken into care, both his parents had been alcoholics and he lived rough in hostels for most of his youth.
The detective garda agreed with Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, that his client made admissions in an interview and entered a guilty plea as soon as he could.
He agreed Murray described having sexual urges which kept him awake at night and made him miss “appointments, dates and people”. He further agreed that Murray mentioned being on tablets at the time but had thought these were either not working or too strong.
He also agreed that Murray had had past mental health issues and that there had been schizophrenia in his family.
Mr O’Higgins submitted to Mr Justice Carney that his client had demonstrated remorse and regret for his actions during interview.
Mr Justice Carney jailed Murray for 12 years for the attempted rape, with the final three years suspended, and five years for assault causing harm to run concurrently. He was also declared a sex offender.