Convicted rapist cleared of further rape
A convicted rapist who previously received one of the longest sentences imposed by the Central Criminal Court for rape, has been acquitted by a jury of raping another woman in 2001.
"Just to let you know, he is already in prison for raping another woman," the mother of the complainant told members of the jury before they left the court room after unanimously acquitting him of rape, threatening to cause harm to and assaulting her then 18-year-old daughter on May 20, 2001 near Tamango diso in Portmarnock.
"He’s a vicious man. He raped my daughter. He is going to do it again. I hope it’s not one of you," she said to the jury, members of which remained stoical as mother and daughter broke into tears.
The man, who will be 23 later this month, received a lengthy prison sentence from the Central Criminal Court in recent years for raping two women in Dublin. Details of the rape and sentence cannot be given as it might to lead to identifying him, which is against the law following his acquittal on these charges.
The rapes, to which he pleaded guilty and received a lengthy prison sentence, were committed while he was on bail awaiting trial for the rape charges he was acquitted of today.
The complainant, now 22 years old, turned around to the smiling defendant and told him he was "a dead man" and would "rot in hell". She and her mother, both of whom had been in court throughout the trial, cried outside the courtroom following the verdict.
He had been on trial for the same charges in July last year when the jury were unable to reach a verdict after eight days of evidence. A hung jury necessitated another trial, which began on May 20, 2005 before Mr Justice Philip O’Sullivan and ended in his acquittal on Thursday.
