A Westmeath man who raped a woman in a Longford carpark after a heavy drinking bout combined with ecstasy and cannabis has been jailed for six years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court.
Marcus McHugh (23) of Christianstown, Collinstown, Mullingar pleaded guilty to raping the victim on November 9th, 2007 when he also threatened he would kill her. They had met in a Longford late-night venue.
His mother, Caroline Cowdy, told Mr Justice Carney she held herself responsible for her son being in court because, she said, she had been “physically and emotionally violent” towards him and his father before she left the family home.
“I was not a very good mother at times and I was mean,” she said.
Mr Justice Carney directed that McHugh’s name be added to the register of sex offenders and said he rejected Ms Cowdy’s acceptance of responsibility for her son’s crimes.
“This case is typical of so many that come before these courts of young people of previous exemplary character who leave home with no evil intent but then consume large quantities of alcohol and drugs and end up on serious rape and even homicide
charges before the court.”
Mr Justice Carney said that society extended little sympathy to people who found themselves in this situation. He said that balancing all the aggravating and mitigating factors as best he could — “including a very credible threat to kill” — he
imposed six-year concurrent sentences and directed that McHugh undergo four years post-release supervision.
Sergeant Gerry Newton told prosecuting counsel, Mr Desmond Dockery BL, that the victim came to the Garda station in a hysterical state in the early hours of the morning. She had some drink taken but wasn’t drunk and told gardai she had been
raped by a man she met earlier in a Longford late-night venue.
Sgt Newton said McHugh had given her the impression he lived in apartments nearby and indicated to her that he had a vehicle in the carpark with which he could offer her a lift home.
The victim walked with him to the carpark where there was a single car. He pushed her onto the bonnet of this car and when she asked him what he was doing he started hitting her on the head with his fist and told her to shut her mouth. He then hit
her twice with his fist and she hit her head off the bonnet as a result.
He then ordered her to take down her trousers and threatened “I will kill you” if she didn’t. Sgt Newton said McHugh told the victim to lie down on the bonnet with a further threat to kill her and raped her while telling her she was a tramp.
The victim used the ruse of suggesting they get a room in a hotel and he agreed to go with her. She gathered up particles of her clothing and escaped when they started walking from the carpark after flagging down a taxi which brought her to the Garda station.
Sgt Newton said the woman told gardai: “Throughout the time I was in that carpark with that man I really thought I would be left for dead.”
McHugh expressed remorse for his crimes at an early stage and indicated he would be pleading guilty. He had no previous convictions and was a hardworking plumber.
Gda Colette Conlon told Mr Dockery that the victim was very upset and traumatised when she took her statement of complaint.
Gda Conlon said that in her victim impact statement the teenager said she still couldn’t talk about her ordeal or attend counselling. She had given up her study course and was now afraid to meet or trust men. “When he told me he was going to
kill me I believed him.”