Judge criticises DPP as man escapes jail for attempted rape
A Dublin man has avoided jail for the attempted rape of a woman he brought back to his home after a night out in June 2012.
Reece Freeman, of Dunard Avenue, Cabra was originally accused of raping the now 27-year-old woman.
After a night out on June 30, 2012, the court heard that Mr Freeman brought the woman back to his house from a nightclub.
Two others joined them and they all got into the same bed at around 5am, but not long afterwards Freeman asked the two others to leave.
In her own words, the victim said she woke up after becoming aware that something was happening to her.
Freeman was originally charged with two rape offences but towards the end of his trial, he offered to plead guilty to the lesser offence of attempted rape.
At his sentence hearing today, Mr Justice Barry White criticised the DPP for accepting such a plea, which he said was "unsupported and irreconcilable" with evidence put before the jury.
The victim, who does not want to be named, said she had no objection to the accused being identified.
Freeman has already been placed on the sex offenders register and today, he was handed a five-year prison sentence which was suspended in full.
