Convicted rapist asks to be put back into prison

A convicted rapist has asked to be put back into prison because he believes he cannot abide by the conditions of his release.

Trevor Byrne was sentenced to eight years with two suspended in 2011 for attempting to rob a 24-year-old woman 14 hours after being released from prison where he had served a 15 year sentence for raping a woman.

Byrne (32), formerly of O’Devaney Gardens, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery of Noemie Krey, at Leo Street, Dublin 7 on September 15th, 2009. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary at the same address on the same date.

The final two years of the eight-year sentence were suspended on strict conditions including that he remain under close supervision by the Probation Service and that he abstains from alcohol.

Since his release last March, Byrne has been returned to court on numerous occasions accused of breeching the terms of his suspended sentence. He was jailed for a six month period in April after he was caught with six cans of cider and said he needed alcohol to stay away from drugs.

He had also telephoned the Central Mental Hospital and told a nurse that he felt like he was out of control and that he “might hack somebody up”.

Byrne was again released in October. He was brought before the court by the Probation Services on Monday for not staying in contact with the services.

Senior Probation Officer Pauline Dowley told prosecuting counsel James Dwyer BL that she had reached “crisis point” with Byrne as he repeatedly disappeared with no warning.

She said that in January there were four separate occasions when he travelled to Belfast and switched off his phone. He was located there by the PSNI.

The officer said that last week Byrne was found in the south of the country having not told the Probation Services where he was going.

Byrne represented himself at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He said he had fired his legal team because "they're failing to comply with the instructions that I'm giving them."

He told Judge Patricia Ryan he was not contesting the Probation Service's application to revoke the suspended portion of his sentence and said that he wanted to go back into prison. "The more I try, the more I make things worse," he said.

He said the he could not be contacted because he had no phone and that the Probation Services knew this.

“I didn’t agree to my life being controlled 24/7,” Byrne said. “I’m entitled to take a few days out of my life to get my head together. Every time I do better I seem to make things worse.”

Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to revoke his suspended sentence but gave Byrne credit for the six month period he spent in prison last year.

Byrne shouted as he was led away by prison officers.