A man jailed for 14 years for the rape and false imprisonment of a woman after he burgled her west Dublin home has lost his appeal against conviction.
Martin Dunne (47), Collins Drive, Finglas, Dublin, was given concurrent sentences of 14 years for rape and six years for each count of burglary and false imprisonment on August 24th, 2001, by Mr Justice Daniel Herbert at the Central Criminal Court in February 2005.
Mr Justice Herbert described Dunne as "an outlaw" who had total contempt for the law after hearing that he had 61 previous convictions for burglary, larceny, assault and firearms offences.
The judge also told Dunne that he had "imposed the worst burden I have ever seen on any victim". The victim impact report showed the woman's life had been "shattered in every way possible".
Refusing Dunne's appeal, Mr Justice Brian McCracken, presiding at the three-judge Court of Criminal Appeal, said the circumstances of the offences were "horrific".
Judge McCracken said that on the seventh day of the trial, Dunne's legal team had withdrawn but the trial judge had emphasised to the jury that they should not draw inferences from the withdrawal of the legal team.
The court adjourned to a later date an application for leave to appeal against the 14-year sentence.