A MAN who sexually assaulted his former doctor with the intention of raping her has been jailed for four years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
George Donovan (26), a native of Belfast, and with addresses at Newcastlewest, Co Limerick, and Morning Star Hostel, Dublin, admitted committing the offence on October 30th, 1996.
Judge Cyril Kelly said the psychiatric report on Donovan was a cause of great concern. He could attack again, perhaps even more seriously than in this frightening and violent instance.
Due to the lack of appropriate supervisory proceedings for violent defendants on their release from prison, the court had to try to protect the community by keep ing control of the case so that the terms and conditions of his release could be directed and monitored.
Judge Kelly said the only way he could do that was by reviewing the case on November 15th, 1999. The maximum sentence he could impose was five years and arising from judgments of the higher courts he had to reduce that because of Donovan's guilty plea.
Mr Damian Colgan, defending, noted the psychiatric report described Donovan as a "social mis-fit". He was now doing arts and crafts in Arbour Hill Prison and this gave him some purpose in life.
Garda Grainne Carmody earlier told Mr Eamonn Leahy, prosecuting, that Donovan claimed in a statement he "fancied" the doctor when she treated him some time before the assault.
But he fell out with her over the treatment. When he saw her on the day of the offence, he decided to rape her after sniffing firelighter fuel and waited around the hospital grounds until she emerged to go to her car.
She saw him approach and thought he wanted to speak to her but he jumped in on top of her, grabbed her by the throat and sexually assaulted her manually.
Garda Carmody said the doctor thought he had a weapon like a screwdriver. She fought back vigorously and succeeded in kicking him in the face. He ran off into trees in the grounds and she ran screaming for help.
The doctor and a male colleague drove around the hospital grounds searching for Donovan and saw him eventually up a tree. He made threatening gestures towards her. Security staff caught him and held him until gardai arrived.
Garda Carmody said the doctor was still fearful of Donovan. She was off work for two months after the attack. Donovan had five previous convictions in various parts of the country including Belfast, where he got a two-year sentence in 1990.