Rapist gets concurrent sentence for failing to register as sex offender

Convicted rapist Garrett Phillips has received an 11-month sentence for failing to register as a sex offender while out on bail awaiting sentence last July.

The former Ros na Rún actor was convicted by a jury on April 18th last of orally raping a then 20-year-old student at a Galway city location in November 2015, following a four-day trial at the Central Criminal Court. He was allowed out on bail at the time on condition he sign on at his local Garda station in Galway three times a week, to await sentence in July.

In the intervening period, however, Phillips (47) failed to place himself on the sex offender’s register as required following his conviction for rape in April.

He subsequently received a six-year prison sentence in July for the rape offence.

Gardaí moved to have him prosecuted for not registering as a sex offender following his conviction and he was brought before Galway District Court on August 28th.

Pleaded guilty

He pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing to notify gardaí of his name(s), date of birth, and home address on April 26th last, while being a person to whom part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 applied, as required by the provisions of section 10(1) of the Act, contrary to section 12(1) (a) and (3) of the Sex Offenders Act 2001, as amended by section 13 of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008.

The court heard Phillips had complied with his bail conditions by signing on at Galway Garda station while out on bail awaiting sentence but he was unaware that he had to register on the sex offender’s register following his conviction.

The court was told Phillips registered as a sex offender in May when he became aware of his obligations while still out on bail awaiting sentence, which was passed on July 9th.

Judge Mary Fahy said that Phillips was "in the wrong" not to have registered straight after his conviction, but his defence was that he was going to the Garda station signing on three times a week as part of his bail conditions at the time.

“He was not complying, but it was not a deliberate non-compliance,” the judge said.

Noting the guilty plea, the judge sentenced Phillips to 11 months in prison, concurrent to the six-year sentence he is currently serving.