Two men have been jailed for 10 years for their part in the gang rape of a young woman out socialising, which a judge compared to something from a wildlife documentary such was its predatory nature.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said that the two men, aged 19 and 21, had nothing in their favour when it came to mitigation in relation to the offences of which they had been convicted at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Dublin in November.
The 21-year-old had been convicted of sexual assault and attempted rape and the 19- year-old had been convicted of sexual assault, attempted rape and oral rape of the woman, while he had earlier pleaded guilty to stealing her car, all on September 13th, 2009.
At the Central Criminal Court in Cork yesterday, Mr Justice Carney recalled that the woman had been on a mystery bus tour for a birthday party but had become separated from her friends after becoming intoxicated.
Picked up
She was picked up by a number of males in a white van. He noted that they had “customised the van for sex” by putting a mattress in the back. They had unsuccessfully tried to pick up a number of other women before coming upon her.
“She was wandering abroad in an intoxicated condition and they behaved as a predator would towards a wounded quarry in a David Attenborough documentary,” said Mr Justice Carney, adding that “unspeakable outrages were perpetrated on the woman”.
Mr Justice Carney said their youth would not confer them with any special treatment in terms of sentencing
The most significant mitigating factor in any case was a guilty plea but they had contested their guilt in an “insulting and contemptuous manner”. While they could not be penalised for that, they were not entitled to the benefit they would have received if they had pleaded guilty.
No remorse
Also, their failure to show any remorse and their continuing to contest their guilt even after conviction meant mitigation on that score was not available to them.
Mr Justice Carney also noted that both men had previous convictions for a series of offences.“Had they been jailed earlier in their criminal careers, they would have been in a better place now.”
He noted that one of the accused had come and gone as he pleased during the trial and he did not intervene as he wanted the jury to form its own opinion as to how the man was approaching the seriousness of the case.
“I noted that one of the accused has been blubbering throughout the case – as he is now,” the judge added. “I am satisfied that they are tears of self-pity rather than tears of remorse.”
He jailed both for 10 years and ordered both to be registered as sex offenders.
