A young woman says she did not deserve to become “another girl of millions abused by men” after being subjected to a sexual attack outside her home by a stranger.
The 19-year-old Meath man, who can not be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape at an address in the Leinster area on November 28th, 2019.
He has no previous convictions and was aged 16 at the time of the offending. The victim was aged 15.
Ms Justice O'Connor adjourned the sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday to November 16th for finalisation.
Reading her victim impact statement, the woman, now aged 18, said she cannot tell herself that she will be safe while walking or at night and must check if she is being followed frequently.
She said her friends are privileged to be able to dismiss similar concerns, but that innocent part of her is “lost forever”.
The victim said when she goes out at night, she is aware that what happened could happen again. “I'm scared, more scared than anyone my age should be”.
The victim said she had imagined when younger after watching superhero movies that she would be brave when threatened. Yet, in the moment of the attack, she was “so scared” and “acted like a victim”.
“How can I think myself brave when I was a victim?” she said.
The woman said she has become a “statistic” who is “another girl of millions abused by men”.
“I don't deserve that”.
Walking home
She said she is “the one scared” and would carry this fear for the rest of her life.
The investigating garda told Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that on the day in question the victim was walking home when she noticed a male coming towards her.
The male moved and started to walk behind her. The victim became apprehensive that she was being followed and tried to contact home.
As she put her key in the front door of her home, she heard running behind her and a male pushed her against the front door.
He told her he wanted a “blowjob” and she offered him money, but he insisted he wanted oral sex on three occasions.
The victim was terrified and said “you don't have to do this” and repeated the offer of money. He rejected this and told her she didn't have a choice.
The accused took the victim to the side of the house, where he raped her orally.
The victim saw the accused checking his phone during the attack. When people passed the property, he would stop and tell her to act as if they were an ordinary couple.
The victim did not try to escape as she was extremely scared. Whenever a car drove past, the accused asked if it belonged to her parents and appeared worried, they might return home.
The accused then suggested they should go somewhere else, such as his home, but the teenager refused as she was afraid he would rape her there.
The teenager wanted to try to get inside her home, but the accused raped her orally again. He also unbuttoned her top and touched her breast. The accused told her to pull down her pants and then touched her.
The accused put his phone on the wall next to her. During the assault, he asked her if he could make a video, which she refused. She thought he was recording on his phone anyway, and he later admitted he was.
Raising the alarm
Afterwards the accused told her not to say anything to anyone, and she agreed.
The assault took place at two locations immediately outside her home.
During the incident, the accused engaged in conversation with her, asking which school she attended, her age and for her name. He also told her his first name.
She told him that she was aged 16, but did not ask him anything as she was extremely frightened.
After the accused left, she went inside and spat into a tissue. She then contacted her mother to raise the alarm.
A garda investigation began and the tissue and the victim's clothes were taken as evidence. At that stage, no suspect was identified.
However, the accused was pinpointed as a possible suspect following a disclosure to gardaí a year later by a health professional.
The accused was arrested in October 2019 and interviewed by gardaí with his mother present. The accused initially told gardaí that he recalled meeting a girl who agreed to his request for oral sex.
The accused then acknowledged that he had attacked the teenager and had been aware of her age.
The investigating garda agreed with John Reynolds SC, defending that his client had made admissions and expressed remorse when interviewed by gardaí.
The accused is attending a programme managed by Tusla and has engaged with other relevant services.
Mr Reynolds said a psychological report indicated that his client has a mild learning disability.
Mr Reynolds asked Ms Justice O'Connor to consider imposing a period of probation supervision on the accused to ensure that he engages with the relevant services.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800 77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/, or visit Rape Crisis Help.
In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
