THERE HAS been “a manifest failure” by a convicted rapist to comply with the terms of his post-release supervision order, the High Court has heard.
The Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday secured a High Court warrant directing Dublin man Gerard Creighton (41) to appear before the Central Criminal Court arising out of his failure to comply with the terms of the order.
The court heard that Creighton, who was released from prison last January, had failed to turn up for a number of meetings with the probation and welfare services and had not informed the authorities of a change of his address.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy heard that Creighton had not furnished any reasons why the breaches of the order had occurred.
The judge said she was satisfied to issue a warrant directing that he appear before Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court on October 5th. The judge said that the purpose of the order was “not to detain Creighton” but to ensure he came to his senses.
Creighton was not in court for the hearing but was represented by counsel and a solicitor.
In April 2003 he was sentenced by Mr Justice Carney to nine years imprisonment for the rape and unlawful detention of a woman. Creighton was also subject to the terms of a post-release supervision order for five years once his period of detention was completed.
At his trial, Creighton, with addresses at Cashel Street, Crumlin, and Sundrive Road, pleaded not guilty to rape, anal rape and false imprisonment in his city-centre flat on September 18th, 1998. He was convicted in November 2002.
At the High Court yesterday, Pauline Walley SC for the DPP said the warrant was being sought to get Creighton to re-engage with the probation services.
While there was “a manifest failure” by Creighton to comply with the terms of the release order, it was in both his interest and the community that he re-engage with the probation services.