The rapist at the centre of the "C" case has been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court.
Simon McGinley (25), a father of three from Dowdalshill, Dundalk, Co Louth, had admitted at an earlier hearing raping the 13year-old girl on August 27th, 1997.
Mr Justice Quirke suspended the final four years of the sentence on condition that McGinley undergoes treatment for sex offenders in prison.
The judge told him he had to pay a heavy penalty for what was a particularly abhorrent rape. Not only had he violated an innocent girl, and used violence against her to achieve that, but his action had also led to the death of another child through abortion.
His victim was only 13 and the effect on her had been devastating. She had endured much, not only from the rape but from what followed.
"You have deprived her of some of her childhood and all of her adolescence. You do not seem to appreciate the enormity of what you have done."
Mr Justice Quirke continued: "You are not a demon, though some less responsible sections of the media have attempted to demonise you. You are a human being who did a dreadful, evil thing which has left this young woman heavily psychologically scarred for the rest of her life."
The effect on the girl would probably have followed even if she had consented to have sex with him because she was only a child, the judge said. He was sure McGinley should be conscious of that as he had a daughter himself who would soon be 13.
Mr Justice Quirke said he took into account McGinley's previous good character, the fact that he was a responsible husband and good provider for his family and that he had pleaded guilty. His plea had spared his victim having to relive her terrible experience in evidence.
Det Sgt Gerard Kelly told Mr Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, that the victim and accused were members of the Travelling community. He came from one of the largest clans and had no previous convictions nor had never come under Garda notice before.
The victim had been babysitting in a Dublin suburb for McGinley on the night of the rape and he offered to leave her home. However he drove past her halting site and when she queried this he said he was going to buy cigarettes.
He stopped his van at a council site entrance, leaned over to her, punched her in the face, dragged off her clothes, dragged her into the back of the van and, after undressing himself, raped her.
Det Sgt Kelly said while they were both still in the back of the van McGinley's wife came looking for him and banged on it. He looked out of the van, pushed the girl away and, while naked, drove for about half a mile.
The girl dressed herself while he was driving and after some time he stopped to put on his own clothes. She decided to make a run for it but he caught her and punched her again before putting her back in the van.
McGinley then drove her home and threatened he would cut her up if she reported what happened. She feared this threat because she claimed he always carried a knife.
Det Sgt Kelly said the girl's mother was out when the girl got home and was, in fact, with McGinley's wife searching for him. Her family was also threatened not to report the rape but it was reported 18 hours later to gardai by a third party who was also a Traveller.
McGinley's identity as the culprit was known to gardai from the start but i searched areas of Waterford, Tipperary and Louth but they failed to locate him until November 21st, 1997 in Dundalk.
McGinley claimed in his initial admissions the girl seduced him, and consented to sex. He claimed she kissed him and made herself available for sex.
Det Sgt Kelly agreed with Mr Michael Durack SC, defending, that there had been a huge amount of media interest in the "C" case as a result of many court applications at both District and High Court levels by people not directly involved with the victim.
He said it would be unfair to say, as counsel suggested, that it was unusual for someone like McGinley never to have been in trouble before with the law or to have come to Garda notice.
Mr Justice Quirke intervened to say he didn't want a reply to that question.
Mr Durack submitted that McGinley was sorry for his crime, which seemed to have been "an aberration" in his life.
He also said some of the matters referred to in the victim impact report arose from the events which followed the court appearances and were something the defendant had no control over. Anyone else would not have suffered the same trauma as this victim did.