Riedo murderer pleads guilty to rape

THE MAN who murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo has now pleaded guilty to the rape of a foreign student.

Gerald Barry (29) of Rosan Glas, Rahoon, Co Galway, will be sentenced for the oral and anal rape of the then 21-year-old French student on August 16th, 2007, at the GAA pitches, Walter Macken Road, Mervue, Galway city.

The attack took place just seven weeks before he killed 17-year-old Ms Riedo who came to Galway city as a language student and had only been in Ireland three days.

The short hearing took place yesterday morning at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cloverhill in front of Mr Justice Paul Carney.

Barry was asked if he pleaded guilty or not guilty to the separate charges.

“Guilty,” he replied.

Barry will be registered as a sex offender and was remanded in custody for sentencing on July 20th. The six-week gap is also to allow for a victim impact statement.

Barry was convicted in March of the murder of Ms Riedo who he strangled on a pedestrian walkway known as “The Line”, close to the Lough Atalia area of Galway city on October 8th, 2007.

He is currently serving a life sentence for her murder in Portlaoise. He also received two five-year sentences for stealing Ms Riedo’s camera and a mobile phone.

During the trial he claimed he had consensual sex with Ms Riedo, an allegation which her parents have always denied could ever have happened.

Last week Galway coroner Dr Ciarán McLoughlin said that Ms Riedo’s killing had been one of the worst tragedies that had ever happened in Galway and the city may never get over it.

Barry had a long history as a violent offender. He was given a five-year sentence for violent disorder arising out of the death of Tipperary man Colm Phelan, who was killed during a fracas in Eyre Square, Galway, in July 1996.

In October 1998 he broke into the home of an elderly man who was blind in one eye and assaulted him so badly that the man lost his sight in the other eye.

He also has a previous conviction for the sexual assault on his ex-partner and scores of minor prosecutions.

He is also awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to assaulting two gardaí in Galway city in March 2007.