A KILDARE man who kidnapped and raped a Waterford woman in her bedroom while gardaí stood outside the door has been given a 10-year sentence by Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins at the Central Criminal Court.
Barry Farrell (24), formerly of Pacelli Road, Naas, pleaded guilty in March after a jury was sworn in for his trial for false imprisonment, rape and to causing criminal damage on the night of June 23th-24th, 2007.
Det Garda Shea Keevan told Mary Ellen Ring SC, prosecuting, that gardaí and trained negotiators arrived at the house after Farrell barricaded himself and the victim in a bedroom while two children slept in the room next door.
Farrell was armed with a broken beer bottle, a hurley and a sharp piece of splintered wood and said he would harm her if they attempted to come in.
Det Garda Keevan said the gardaí heard sexual activity going on and pleaded with Farrell to stop.
He ended the siege at 3.20am and was immediately arrested. He claimed the sex was consensual and that the woman had never asked him to leave.
Det Garda Keevan said Farrell had 50 previous convictions, including some in England. Several of the previous offences were for assault. He committed the Waterford crimes while on bail for another offence and is currently serving an 11-month sentence for threatening the woman's relatives in court in June 2007.
Ms Ring said the Director of Public Prosecutions considered the case to be very serious and at the higher end of the scale for sentence.
Farrell gave evidence apologising for his actions and promised never to contact the woman again, but added: "Hopefully one day we can be friends." He also handed in a letter to Mr Justice O'Higgins through his defence counsel, Patrick Gageby SC .
Mr Gageby submitted that Farrell was genuinely remorseful. He was a chronic alcoholic who could have "good things to add to the community" if sober.
Mr Gageby said it was open to the DPP to say the offence was serious "but he cannot say the sentence should be in the 10-14 years range". Farrell was ashamed and disappointed with himself and it would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"The court is not entitled to presume my client is irredeemable," Mr Gageby added.
Mr Justice O'Higgins said he accepted that Farrell's remorse was genuine and that he pleaded guilty at an early stage, which enabled the court to impose a lesser sentence than it might have.
"Rape is one of the most serious crimes and the victim endured a very harrowing ordeal because of your actions," he said.
He sentenced Farrell to 10 years for the rape and seven years for the false imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended on condition Farrell remained under the Probation Service's supervision for five years following his release.