THE GALWAY man already serving a life sentence for the murder of Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo was been given a further two life sentences for the crime of rape against another woman.
Gerald Barry (29), from Rosan Glas, Rahoon, attacked and raped the then 21-year-old French student seven weeks before he killed Ms Riedo.
Imposing the maximum sentence for two counts of rape of the French woman and taking into account a third charge of theft, Mr Justice Paul Carney said Barry had a “proclivity and propensity to kill and rape again given any opportunity”.
“I’m satisfied that given the facts of the offence, the effect on the victim and the accused’s continuing danger to society . . . these are exceptional circumstances which justify the imposition of the maximum penalty, notwithstanding the plea of guilty,” he said sentencing Barry at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Galway. There was no “tunnel of hope”, the judge added. “This is a concept which was developed in gentler times before the scourge of drugs made some people mindless, wholly irrational and evil.”
The French student, who was studying at NUI Galway and was also a part-time waitress, was returning home from a night out listening to traditional music in the city centre when she was attacked by Barry.
He dragged her into the grounds of a GAA club in Mervue where he forced her at knife point to undress.
He proceeded to orally and anally rape her several times. He put a knife under her throat and also threatened to kill her.
Mr Justice Carney described Barry’s criminal record, which included not only the murder of Ms Riedo but violent disorder causing the death of a man 13 years ago, as a “quite extraordinary list of previous convictions”.
The rape of the French woman occurred in the early hours of August 16th, 2007. A couple of hours later, Barry attacked his ex-partner who complained to gardaí. When gardaí realised that Barry had been in the vicinity of where the French woman was raped, he was arrested and questioned about that attack.
His ex-partner gave a description of the clothes he was wearing similar to that given by his French victim. Gardaí searched Barry’s parents’ house and recovered a blood-stained top.
Barry appeared in court on August 18th over the attack on his ex-partner. He was granted bail despite Garda objections.
He was also under investigation for the rape of the French student when he killed Ms Riedo on October 8th, 2007.
He attacked the 17-year-old student as she was walking to the city centre. He sexually assaulted her and then strangled her.
Barry was in custody in Castlerea Prison awaiting his murder trial when DNA samples confirmed that semen found on the French victim’s underwear matched his. He was questioned again by gardaí in December 2007, but did not appear in court in connection with the rape until April 2008 .
He later pleaded guilty to all charges relating to the rape at a hearing last month.