Convicted rapist remanded in custody over Dart assault

A rapist who has been jailed six times for sexual offences over the last 25 years has been remanded in custody pending the imposition of a new prison term for the sexual assault of a woman.

Paul Moore (51) had been on bail awaiting sentencing for the offence, which took place on the Dart in 2014.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, Judge Melanie Greally indicated she would impose a three-year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended, at the end of this month, but said she wanted time to "fine-tune the conditions" that would apply on Moore's release.

The judge said she was postponing sentencing to confirm if a special request could be made for urine analysis to form part of Moore’s post-release supervision by the Probation Service.

She remanded Moore in custody until March 30th next after hearing evidence from his case manager and probation officer on what conditions should apply to a partly-suspended sentence to assist him in refraining from re-offending.

They confirmed to the court that Moore had been compliant with the terms of his supervision following his release last April from his previous jail term.

They advised that he should remain sober in public and his case manager suggested he observe a night-time curfew.

Previously, the court heard that Moore assaulted the victim, an au pair, in 2014 as she was travelling home from college.

Gardaí examined CCTV footage of the incident, but Moore was not recognised on the video until two years later.

In the meantime, he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents in Dublin city centre after stopping them in the street and asking them for a cigarette.

In 2015, he was jailed for 15 months for these attacks.

He was released in April 2016 and was subject to probation supervision.

In an earlier case, Judge Martin Nolan noted Moore "has a predisposition to violence towards women which manifests as rape and sexual assault".

His other offences include raping a musician in 2001, for which he received 10-years’ imprisonment, and raping another woman in 1995, for which he received seven years.

Guilty plea

Moore, of Mountjoy Square, Dublin, had previously pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting the woman on the Dart on August 28th, 2014.

At a hearing in February, Moore’s defence counsel, Breffni Gordon BL, said he had spent a significant portion of his life in prison.

Counsel said there were conflicting opinions on what caused Moore to commit these crimes.

One psychiatric report blamed a head injury he received in 1982, while another blamed an “organic personality disorder”.

The judge said Moore’s inability to desist from offending, no matter what punishment was imposed, was a matter of real concern to the court.

The judge said any sentence would have to “maximise the ability of the services to supervise Moore”.