Former builder jailed for rape
A former builder who kidnapped and raped two sisters and forced them to perform 'humiliating' sexual acts on each other has been jailed for 10 years by the Central Criminal Court.
The 37-year-old Dublin man, who cannot be named in order to protect the victims' identities, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment of the two women, (37 and 41 years old respectively), to raping them and to forcing oral intercourse on them on February 18, 2001.
One of his victims was his partner of 14 years and mother of their three children. Their ordeal lasted from midnight to 6 am.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said he had been of the firm view before the hearing that the man deserved nothing less than life imprisonment for subjecting the two sisters to such "degradation and humiliation".
However, he said, both victims had asserted that his actions on the night were "out of character" and that he had always been "a great provider" for his family. He was also taking the three children into consideration.
Mr Justice Carney said, despite these factors, that he was reducing the sentence to 10 years with "some reservations". He suspended the last 18 months of the sentence on account of his early plea of guilty, which came on the arraignment date on April 11 last.
He added the man to the sexual offenders register and directed that he remain under supervision for a further 10 years upon his release from prison.
Sergeant Martin Woods told prosecuting counsel Mr Conor Devally BL that throughout the ordeal both women had been sure they would not live to see the next day while they were subjected to physical and sexual abuse.
The man and his victims had been having some drinks and engaged in general conversation in the couple's home on the night of their ordeal. When he returned from a trip around 11pm to get more alcohol he began to act very aggressivley and locked the living room door.
His three children were sleeping upstairs and after locking the door, he instructed his partner to strip but when she refused, he hit her on the head.
Sgt Woods said her sister intervened and asked him to leave her alone. He then grabbed the sister's breasts and instructed her to strip as well. When he grabbed her by the hair, she became so frightened that she acceeded to his demands and stripped.
His partner was getting hysterical at this stage and asked him to leave her sister alone. He then grabbed her, forced her clothes open and demanded that she strip further.
Sgt Woods said he forced them to sit on the couch and demanded they kiss each other. They tried to 'appease' him by faking it, but he realised what they were doing and forced them to kiss.
Soon afterwards he became less aggressive and began to ask questions of himself like "What am I doing?" He then produced a flip knife and said he was going to stab himself.
He then asked the sisters to stab him. His partner was able to reason with him to the extent that she was able to take the knife from him and throw it under a chair in the room.
Shortly afterwards he again 'snapped back' into his earlier behaviour and aggressively started kissing the breasts of his partner's sister. He then instructed his partner to do the same and when she refused, forced her to do so by pulling her by the hair.
He then forced them to perform oral sex on each other, made his partner digitally penetrate her sister and shortly afterwards made her perform oral sex on him and then to lie on the floor.
He forced her sister to lie on top of his partner and then raped her. She was crying throughout and asking him to stop.
Sgt Woods said he then got up for a while but shortly afterwards pulled his partner's sister to the floor and raped her after instructing his partner to watch.
Soon afterwards he walked over to the fireplace and began urinating into the fire but then turned to his partner and continued to urinate on her. Once again he forced her to have oral sex with him before turning to her sister and forcing her to do the same.
Sgt Woods said the ordeal, which had begun just after midnight ended around 6am when he finally ejaculated whilst forcing his partner's sister to perform oral sex on him.
During this time he had continuously shouted and screamed and had turned up the radio on full-volume in order to drown out the noise he was making. He also kept saying he was "sick" and "fucked" and needed help.
Defence counsel, Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, told Mr Justice Carney his client was genuinely remorseful for his actions, and apologised to the sisters "from the bottom of his heart."
Mr O'Higgins also described him as usually a pleasant, calm and hardworking person who supported his family before and after the incidents.He was also a man who suffered from large tracts of amensia regarding what happened on the night, but was prepared to take responsibility and had remained in prison from April this year despite having the bail option open to him.
"The guilt of his actions has remained, and will forever remain with him," Mr O'Higgins said.
Sgt Woods said that while the man's partner had at one stage considered withdrawing her statement from gardai in consideration of the effect it might have on the children to have their father as a convicted rapist, she was wrecked by guilt for having put her sister in such a position.
She told gardai she wanted "justice to be seen to be done" in the case.
Sgt Woods said her sister was still trying hard to put the matter behind her and get on with her life by seeking professional help. She had turned to alcohol heavily after the incident and it was her eldest child who had taken responsibility for the welfare of the family until she was better able to cope with her life.
