Four-year rape sentence criticised

The Rape Crisis Centre has strongly criticised what it sees as the leniency of a four-year sentence handed down to a Cork rapist, saying it sent a message to rape victims that "seeking justice is akin to a lottery".

Ms Breda Allen, chairwoman of the centre, said the sentence had been handed down despite the "extremely vicious" nature of the rape and despite the crime carrying a potential life sentence.

"The garda who investigated this case, and who has been 22 years in the force, said that this was one of the worst he had ever seen, the injured woman could not be interviewed for some days because of her condition," she said.

"This sentence will have very serious repercussions for society as a whole and sends a message to women who are victims of rape that the courts may not take their agony and the long-term consequences to them seriously."

Ms Allen made her comments yesterday following the sentencing to four years imprisonment on Thursday of a 32-year-old Cork man convicted of rape and assault causing harm to a 25-year-old woman in April 2002.

Paul Buckley, Baker's Road, Gurranabraher, severely assaulted his victim during the rape, which took place in the back garden of a house in an unidentified Cork suburb.

He tried to choke her and said he would kill her if she did not shut up and stop shouting. He did not know his victim and only met her on the night of the attack. He claimed they met on the street and that his victim had consented to sex.

The woman had no recollection of how she met Buckley. She remembered leaving a pub where she had been socialising but could not recall anything until the point where she was on the ground with a man sitting on her with his legs each side of her body. The woman took the stand during Buckley's trial and told the court: "It is almost three years since you brutally attacked and raped me and as if that was not bad enough, you pleaded not guilty and I had to take the stand and relive it all again. I will never ever forgive you for that."

Ms Allen said while her centre accepted the judiciary was independent, the sentence in this case would not encourage other rape victims to come forward and seek justice. "We believe that this is an appropriate case for the Director of Public Prosecutions to exercise his right to appeal an unduly lenient sentence and we are calling upon him to do this."