A Limerick man who participated in a gang-rape of a woman in a wood last year has been sentenced to a 21-year jail sentence final year suspended.
Stephen Barry (25), of Roxboro Road, pleaded guilty to four charges arising from the attack at Brickhill East, Cratloe, Co Clare, on January 23rd, 2004.
Barry admitted raping the woman, assaulting her causing harm, the false imprisonment of her and of her male companion, and the assault of the companion.
He also pleaded guilty to a fifth charge of stealing a bottle of tequila on January 22nd, 2004, at Fine Wines, Thomond Gate, Limerick.
At the Central Criminal Court Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed 21 years for the rape, 21 years for false imprisonment, five years for each assault and 12 months for theft. All terms are to run concurrently, the final year suspended.
Barry has also been registered as a sex offender, and will be under post-release supervision for 10 years.
Mr Justice Carney gave four other Limerick teenagers detention terms of up to 10 years on July 30th last year for their roles in the crime in which the gang took turns to rape a 35-year-old woman while her 36-year-old male companion was locked in the boot of a car.
Thomas O'Neill, Dean Barry and Darragh Ryan, all 16 at the time, and the then 14-year-old Jason Ring, along with Barry, attacked the couple after they found them in Cratloe Woods in the early hours of the morning.
Det Sgt Michael Houlihan said the couple arrived at the scene at around 3am that morning. Twenty minutes later the teenagers and Barry arrived in a stolen car.
Armed with a golf club, a screw driver, a wheel brace and a shovel, the gang threatened the couple, demanding their mobile phones and wallets.
The woman was severely struck on the shoulder with a golf club after telling her attackers to "f- - - off" when they tried to lift her dress.
They ordered the man into the boot of the car while Barry held a screwdriver to his side. The woman was dragged into the car, and the gang took turns raping her while they threatened to burn the car with her boyfriend in the boot if she resisted.
Det Sgt Houlihan said the ordeal lasted for 45 minutes. It ended when the man managed to escape from the boot and summon help from a passing motorist.
Mr Justice Carney heard that the accused, who has 36 previous convictions, was not the leader of the gang, and told gardaí he had been present at the incident but he made no substantial admissions concerning the more serious charges.
As well as repeated rapes, the woman suffered a serious shoulder injury. The man received plastic surgery on injuries to his right arm and suffered extensive injuries to his face, head and body. Both injured parties gave evidence to the court. The woman said she was picking up the pieces of her life, and there had been desperate, despairing days. The man said "to call the incident traumatic would be an understatement".
Mr Justice Carney said the only thing he could find in Barry's favour was his guilty plea. It was no form of mitigation that the man was not the ringleader as "he was going around the countryside taking orders from a child".
He said it was an aggravating factor that Barry did not take control and stop what was going on.
O'Neill and Ryan, both from Lenihan Avenue; Barry, from Garryglass Avenue, Ballinacurra; and Ring, from Crecora Avenue, Ballinacurra, all Limerick city, pleaded guilty to raping the woman.
They also pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning the man and assault causing harm on both victims on the same date.
Mr Justice Carney earlier jailed O'Neill for 10 years because he was described as the "ringleader". He jailed Dean Barry for nine years because the probation report said he represented a continuing danger to others. He sentenced Ryan to eight years, and jailed Ring for the maximum four years for a person under 16.
Mr Justice Carney suspended the final year of O'Neill, Ryan and Dean Barry's sentence because of their age and guilty pleas. He said he had no jurisdiction to suspend a portion of Ring's sentence because it was to be served at Trinity House.